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Test/review of DMM Mustool MT110

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DMM Mustool MT110
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A meter without a rotary range switch, mode can be selected either manually or automatically.
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I got the meter in a brown cardboard box with a generic meter drawing on.
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It included the DMM, a pair of probes and a manual.
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The probes has is rated for CATIII, but do not include the partial tip covers required for CATIII or CAT IV.
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The shrouded plug is the short variety.
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The buttons requires holding some fingers behind the meter to use when on the tilting bale.
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Display
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The above picture shows all the segments on the display, not all are used.
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Typical display when turned on, it will show VDC/VAC/Ohm as needed.
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But mode can also be selected manually.
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The NCV is the usual EF with four bars, buzzer and a led.
Functions
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Buttons:


  • light: Turn flashlight on or off
  • NCV: Hold down to activate electric field detection.
  • Hold: Press to freeze display reading, hold down to turn backlight on.
  • on: Hold down to turn power on/off, press to change between auto/VDC/VAC/Continuity/diode/capacity

Input
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  • 10A: Current input
  • COM: The common terminal for all ranges.
  • xxx: All other ranges.

Measurements

  • Volt and frequency

    • 1 VAC is 5% down at 2kHz (RMS will not work at the frequency).
    • Input impedance is about 825kOhm on DC and AC
    • In auto mode it will show voltage above about 0.6V
    • If both AC and DC is present in auto it will show the highest voltage.
    • Overload protection on DC is 1000VDC and 750VAC peak according to manual.

  • Current

    • Meter will switch to current when the current is above 20mA on the current terminal.
    • Meter has audible and visual alarm when current is 10A or above.
    • Current is protected by a 10A/250V 5×20mm ceramic fuse.
    • Current ranges must only be used up to 36VDC or 25VAC

  • Ohm, Continuity, diode and capacitance

    • Ohm needs about 1.68s to measure 100ohm
    • Ohm is 0.4V open and 0.19mA shorted
    • Continuity is 0.6V open and 0.19mA shorted
    • If voltage is detected in continuity mode the meter will switch to auto mode and show the voltage.
    • Continuity is very fast (below 10ms).
    • Continuity beeps when resistance is below 50ohm.
    • Continuity flashes a small red led together with the beep.
    • Diode range uses 3.3V, max. display is 3.000V at 0.11mA, max. current is 1.35mA shorted
    • 10uF takes about 7 seconds to measure.
    • 70000uF takes about 13 seconds to measure.
    • It may switch to voltage range if voltage is applied in these modes (Depends on polarity and actual voltage).

  • Miscellaneous

    • Current consumption when off is below 1uA
    • Current consumption of meter is 1.7mA, 9.5mA with backlight or flashlight and 15mA with both.
    • Meter turns off at 2.2V, battery symbol show at 2.4V.
    • Reading is stable with changing battery voltage
    • Backlight & flashlight varies with voltage, but are usable until meter turns off.
    • The meter often shows a wrong value before the correct reading.
    • Viewing angle is good.
    • Display updates around 3 times/sec
    • Flashlight can be manually turn on/off and will turn off when the meter turns off.
    • Backlight will turn off in about 15 seconds
    • Will automatic turn power off after about 16 minutes
    • Standard probes cannot be pushed fully down.
    • Weight is 207g without accessories, but with rubber sleeve and batteries.
    • Size is 145 × 69 × 35mm with rubber sleeve.

  • Probes

    • Probe resistance 50mOhm for one.
    • Probe wire is soft and 74cm long.


10uF
A look at the capacitance measurement waveform.
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In auto mode the input pulses 3 times a second to check for resistance or voltage.
DMMschema
Maximum voltage is different between manual and meter, Manual 1000VDC/750VAC Meter: 800VDC/600VAC
The 10nF range shows a bit too high at lower values (6% at 1nF).
A high DC voltage can block for AC reading when AC is manually selected.
The multimeter is basically always in Low-Z mode.
Tear down
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I had to remove four screws to open the meter.
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And 6 screws to get the circuit board out.
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On this side is the 10A fuse, buzzer, capacitors and the flashlight led. The NCV antenna can be seen at the top, it is on both sides.
The two missing ICs are probably for a electronic relay.
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On this side is the mechanical relay for connecting the current generator used in ohm/continuity/diode/capacity. There is a PTC in series with the relay for protection and a transistor pair (T7 & T11) for clamp after it. The relay needs two driver transistor (T9 & T10) for its set and reset coils.
The input resistors do not match the values on the circuit board. There is a 900kOhm input (R51) and a 10Mohm input (R52 & R55: 2×5Mohm). Because they are always in parallel the input impedance is around 825kOhm. I wonder why there is a transient clamping diode in parallel with the 0.01ohm current shunt, it will not protect much (It needs a series resistor).
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The actual multimeter IC do not have a type number on it. There is a 24C08 EEPROM for calibration storage.
Conclusion
As usual the CAT rating is invalid, it meter is fine to use up to mains voltage, as long as it is secured with a not too large fuse.
The meter works nicely and the auto selection of VDC/VAC/ohms is definitely usable. The continuity is very fast (Not the beep in auto). The meter is rather limited in ranges and input impedance is on the low side, but it will handle the most command measurements for home or some hobbies.
Notes
The multimeter was supplied by Banggood for review.
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Test/review of DMM East Tester ET3240

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DMM East Tester ET3240
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This is a low end bench meter with interface for computer control.
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It arrives in a big very solid cardboard box with the DMM well protected inside.
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It includes the meter, a manual, a calibration certificate stating that the meter is in calibration, mains cable, a pair of probes with alligator clips and spare fuses.
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Standard probe, that looks like CATII types.
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The plug is fully shrouded.
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Isolated alligator clips to mount on the probes.
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The front has the display, the buttons and the input.
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The handle can be placed in many positions, but the locking is rather loose.
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On the bag is mains input with a fuse, a USB connector and the mA fuse.
Display
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The display uses a color LCD with a main value and a secondary display that is very well used to show secondary values selected with the blue buttons. Default secondary reading is percent of range or frequency for AC measurements.
The bottom of the screen is used to show the current settings, the blue buttons are NOT soft keys.
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Adjusting some settings for MAX+B and Limits mode.
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A four terminal ohm reading of a 100ohm 0.01% resistor.
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Statistic.
Functions
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  • Stats: Select statistic mode, this works in voltage, current, resistance, capacitance and frequency.
  • MAX+B: Show a calculated value (Y) on secondary display. Use enter and arrows to configurate multiply and sum factors.
  • dB: Show dB relative to 1V (default) on secondary display.
  • dBm: Show dB relative to 600ohm (default) or 0.775V on secondary display.
  • REL: Relative mode, current value is used as reference and shown on secondary display. Will also change between 2W/4W mode with RTD sensors.

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On some buttons the SHIFT function are the top line on other it is the bottom line.


  • DC V: DC voltage, always starts in 20V range.
  • AC V: AC voltage.
  • Ohm: Press once for two wire ohms and twice for four wire ohms readings.
  • Freq/Period: Press once for frequency and twice for period.
  • DC I: DC current.
  • AC I: AC current.
  • Cont: Press once for continuity and twice for diode mode.
  • Temp: Press once for capacitance and twice for temperature. In temperature the arrows select sensor type and ENTER is used to enter the ambient temperature.
  • AC+DC: Press SHIFT and then AC+DC to AC+DC measurement in AC voltage and current.
  • Hold/Duty: Press to freeze reading, use SHIFT first to select duty cycle mode.
  • Cal/Auto: Press to select auto range, use SHIFT first for calibration (6 digit password required).
  • Trig/Ext: Press to enter single measurement mode, each press will do a new measurement. Ext is not used on this meter.
  • Limit/Save: Press to save subsequent measurement (Works fine with TRIG). Press SHIFT first to select limits and alarm mode (Use ENTER and arrows).
  • 1/X/MEM: Press to read the saved values, use SHIFT first to show 1/value on secondary display.
  • Exit/Sys: Press to see/set system stuff, use SHIFT first to leave some modes.
  • SHIFT: Must be pressed before some keys to activate the function.
  • F1: Keyboard lock.
  • Arrows: Arrows and ENTER are used to adjust and select values/ranges.

Input
The inputs are only CAT II 300V rated, i.e. the meter is not designed for industrial and service on electric installations.
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  • HI: The voltage, frequency, capacitance, diode, etc. positive input.
  • LO: The voltage, frequency, capacitance, diode, etc. negative input.
  • HIsense: Four terminal ohm.
  • LOsense: Four terminal ohm.
  • 100mA: Current low input, meter is rated for 240mA on this terminal.
  • 10A: Current high input

Measurements

  • Volt and frequency

    • At 100mVrms frequency input range is from 1Hz to 20MHz (The dual display voltage/frequency is limited to 120kHz).
    • Frequency counter can handle a DC offset of at least 9.8V when measuring 0.1Vrms (The input impedance will be fairly low).
    • Duty cycle works from 5% to 95% at 10kHz with 1Vpp, precision is within 3.0 (Higher input voltage do not improve readings).
    • 1 VAC is 5% down at 120kHz, rms will not work at this frequency (It looks like the meter applies a correction depending on the measured frequency).
    • Period is 1/frequency, it do not show high/low period time.
    • Min/max captures in about 160ms on fast speed, but requires a couple of samples.
    • Min/max is based on normal measurements, there is no special mode/circuit to make faster captures, this is standard for bench meters.
    • Meter can show dB with either 1V (Adjustable) or 600ohm (Adjustable from 1 to 9999ohm) reference level.
    • Input impedance is 10Mohm on the high DC ranges.
    • Input impedance is 1Mohm capacitive coupled on AC ranges, but DC couple when using AC+DC.
    • mVDC & 2VDC range is high impedance.
    • Frequency input is a few kOhm above 3V

  • Current

    • Low current ranges is protected with a 0.5A/250V 5×20mm glass fuse accessible from outside.
    • High current ranges is protected with a soldered 5×20mm glass fuse.
    • Most current ranges has their own shunt instead of a x10 amplifier, this means better precision, but also higher voltage drop on some ranges.
    • mA current terminal will disconnect shortly when changing range.
    • There is no warning about using the wrong current input terminal, but the reading will be wrong.

  • Ohm, Continuity, diode and capacitance

    • Ohm needs about 2.4s to measure 100ohm in default slow and about 1.8s on fast.
    • Ohm is up to 3.2V open (1V in 200Mohm range) and 0.67mA shorted
    • Continuity speed is moderate (About 100ms).
    • Continuity beeps when resistance is below 30ohm, this is adjustable from 0 to 2000ohm
    • Continuity is 3.3V open and 0.16mA shorted
    • Diode range uses 3.3V, max. display is 1.64V at 0.35mA, max. current is 0.67mA shorted
    • 10uF takes about 3 seconds to measure.
    • 1000uF takes about 16 seconds to measure.

  • Miscellaneous

    • I did not find a ambient temperature compensation, the ambient temperature must be entered manually for thermocouplers.
    • PT & Cu sensors can both be used in 2 wire and 4 wire mode, it is changed by the REL button.
    • The calibration procedure is documented, but it requires a 6 digit password and that is not documented.
    • Power consumption when on is 4.4 watt
    • Viewing angle is good.
    • Display update speed depends on settings (2, 5, 7 / second)
    • Weight is 2200g including bumpers.
    • Size is 300 x 270 × 104mm including bumpers and handle.

  • Probes

    • Probe resistance 32mOhm for one.
    • Probe wire is very soft and 104cm long.


1uF
A look at the capacitance measurement waveform.
2mA-20mA
Current auto range, there is a few ms where the burden voltage is due to the protection diodes, not the shunt resistors. It looks like there is some contact bounce on the relay.
From 20mA to 200mA the voltage drop is about 1.4V, but the time is shorter.
DMMschema
The meter has a slight issue in the high mA range, the input terminal is labeled 100mA, but the range is 240mA
High AC voltage can block DC readings.
AC voltage is 1Mohm input impedance.
Software
The meter includes a CD with software and manual, but that was a rather big disappointment.:

  • The manuals on the CD cannot be opened by a PDF reader.
  • The program is in both a 32 & 64 bit version, when installing it the only thing I got was a STM serial port driver.
  • The meter do not include any documentation for the SCPI protocol (I got it directly from Banggood).
  • The protocol is not correct SCPI.
  • There are some bugs in the protocol, like 200A range when selecting 2A or 10A range and missing temperature.
  • Temperature is not supported in the SCPI protocol.

There is one good detail with the implementation: it answers very fast, sampling at the fastest conversion speed is no problem.
I implemented the meter in TestController, here is some examples:
Mode
I support most modes in the meter
Setup
And some configuration, this is present for all modes with ranges.
Values
Getting the current reading from the meter and showing some statistic.
ReadOut
Large digit readout on the desktop.
Table
Collecting the data in a table.
VoltageCurve
Making a curve of the data.
Tear down
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To open it I had to remove two screws and pull the handle out.
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Most of the meter is on a single circuit board. There is a IO board at the back. The main input goes to the circuit board where the switch is mounted and then back to the transformer. There is a isolation slot between the mains part and the rest of the circuit (nice).
The mA fuse is connected to the circuit board with wires and a connector.
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There is no parts on this side of the circuit board.
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A closeup of the backside of the circuit board. two budge wires can be seen.
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The IO port only have the USB connector mounted. These is also space for a RS232 output with a driver chip and for trigger and square wave connectors.
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The front side circuit board. The flat cable is for USB connector, it is handled here. It also looks like the trigger and square wave may be controlled from this processor.
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The power supply part of the circuit board. It looks like +/- 5V (U20 & U22: 7805 & 7809) and a more powerful 5V (U21: 7805) with heatsink.
Next is a isolated switching supply for the front panel, it also has opto isolated connections to the main board
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This part is the electronic range switch, a large part of it is done with relays. There is a big red input capacitor for the AC ranges.
There is four diodes (D13..D16) that handles overload on mA ranges and limits the voltage drop when changing current range.
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The 12A range has a fuse, but it is soldered into a isolated holder.
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Conclusion
The meter measures nicely, but the user interface is not completely logical, sometimes a specific function can be a bit hard to locate.
The computer interface is lagging documentation and software, I got the documentation from Banggood and the last bit can be solved nicely with my software.
Generally it works fine as a low end bench meter and I prefer it over the bench meters that are basically a handheld meter in a large enclose with a power supply.
Notes
Download TestController from here
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Test/review of DMM Aneng AN82

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DMM Aneng AN82
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Another Aneng meter, this time without a range switch, but with buttons.
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I got the meter in a unbranded brown cardboard box with a drawing of the meter.
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It included the DMM, a pair of probes, a thermocoupler, spare fuses and a manual.
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The probes has removable tip covers, the tip and tip cover has the usual CAT markings.
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The shrouded plug is the slightly short variety.
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The thermocoupler is the standard cheap type with banana plugs.
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The meter uses buttons instead of a range switch, this means it is always possible to select range with one hand (It may be necessary to hold some fingers behind the meter).
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Display
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The above picture shows all the segments on the display, not all are used by this meter.
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Typical display during usage, in AC the small display will show the frequency or duty-cycle.
In temperature mode the large display shows Celsius and the small display shows Fahrenheit.
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The NCV is the usual bars and the buzzer and also includes a red led above the display.
Functions
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Buttons:


  • Power: Hold down to turn meter on/off. When a lead is connected to uA or A a short press will select between AC and DC
  • Range: First press will switch to manual ranging, press more to select range. Hold down to return to auto ranging.
  • mV C F: Select mVAC, mVDC, Celsius & Fahrenheit
  • H %: In AC modes this will move frequency to main display and show duty-cycle on small display. Hold down to turn flashlight on.
  • V NCV: Select VAC, VDC, NCV
  • Hold Rel: A short press will freeze the current reading, holding down will switch to relative readings.
  • ohm: Select Capacity, Diode, Continuity, ohm (Not the usually sequence).

Input
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  • 10A: High current. Manual specifies a 15 second max. but that is not marked on the meter.
  • uA: The uA ranges, the meter do not have a mA range.
  • COM: The common terminal for all ranges.
  • xxx: All other ranges.

Measurements

  • Volt and frequency

    • Meter defaults to AC voltage, moving between mV & V will change to AC.
    • At 100mVrms input frequency range is from 1.1Hz to 6MHz (Using mV range).
    • At 2Vrms input frequency range can be stretched to 10MHz (Using mV range).
    • 1 VAC is 5% down at 2kHz (RMS will not work at the frequency).
    • Frequency counter and duty cycle can only be selected in AC ranges.
    • Frequency input requires a zero crossing.
    • Duty cycle works from 2% to above 99% at 100kHz with 1Vpp, precision is within 0.9.
    • Input impedance is 10..11Mohm on VDC& VAC.
    • mV range is high impedance for DC up to around 1.5 volt where it drops to a few kOhm. AC is similar, but capped at 10Mohm

  • Current

    • Meter defaults to AC current, moving between uA & A will change to AC.
    • Meter will automatic change to current ranges
    • Meter slowly beeps when in current ranges.
    • Meter beeps fast when a current range is overloaded
    • Meter reading changes at 10A current, I saw a shift from 9.2A to 9.9A in about a minute (Manual specify maximum measuring time above 5A as 15 seconds, but it is not marked on the meter).
    • Frequency counter and duty cycle can only be selected in AC ranges.
    • uA current is protected by a 0.2A/250V 5×20mm fuse.
    • 20A current is protected by a 10A/250V 5×20mm fuse.

  • Ohm, Continuity, diode and capacitance

    • Ohm needs about 2.7s to measure 100ohm
    • Ohm is 1.1V open and 0.36mA shorted
    • Continuity is very fast (below 10ms).
    • Continuity beeps when resistance is below 50ohm.
    • Continuity is 1.1V open and 0.36mA shorted
    • Diode range uses 3.2V, max. display is 3.000V at 0.12mA, max. current is 1.5mA shorted
    • 10uF takes about 4.3 seconds to measure.
    • 70000uF takes about 9 seconds to measure.
    • Overload protection is rated at 250C AC/DC

  • Miscellaneous

    • Current consumption of meter is around 27mA depending on range (45mA with flashlight)
    • Meter works down to 2.6V where it turns off, battery symbol show at 2.8V.
    • Battery symbol will also show occasionally with a full battery.
    • Reading will start to change at about 5V, change is only a few % before the meter is off.
    • At low battery voltage (3V), meter may have problems with ranges, I have seen 816V on the meter with 10V input.
    • Backlight will start to fade at 5V, display is readable below 3V when ambient light is low.
    • Flashlight brightness follows backlight in voltage sensitivity.
    • The meter usual need a couple of display update to reach the final value.
    • Viewing angle is good, except from the top.
    • Display updates around 3 times/sec
    • Flashlight will automatic turn off in about 15 seconds.
    • Will automatic turn power off in about 15 minutes.
    • Standard probes cannot be pushed fully down.
    • Weight is 290g without accessories, but with rubber sleeve and batteries.
    • Size is 160 × 78 × 47mm with rubber sleeve.

  • Probes

    • Probe resistance 60mOhm for one.
    • Probe wire is soft and 91cm long.


1uF
A look at the capacitance measurement waveform.
DMMInputVoltageSweepmVDC
mVDC input resistance depends on input voltage. The mVAC is limited at 10Mohm
DMMschema
The meter cannot be used at 10A, the reading will drift.
The lowest uA range is 0.6uA (6 count) out at 1uA, rating says 3 count.
High DC voltage can block AC readings.
Tear down
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There where four screws holding the back cover on.
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A fairly simple design with one relay instead of the range switch.
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Flashlight and NCV antenna poke out from the top.
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6 more screws to get the circuit board out
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The 10A input has a large shunt (R8) and a long copper track from shunt to fuse, both are used as sense resistor (The copper track is the reason for the bad high current performance). The uA shunt is R35 with a diode across. Both current terminals are split types and this is used to sense when a plug is inserted, these goes to R37 & R25.
Voltage input splits into 3 paths: High impedance (R21-1 & R21-2: 2×5MOhm), medium impedance (R18 & R34: 2×499kOhm) and low impedance (PTC+Relay). The low impedance path is protected by a transistor pair (Q4 & Q5).
The chips are a reference (U5: LM385), a EEPROM (U2: T24C08). a LCD controller (HY2313B), a multimeter chip (U1), a unmarked chip (U4) and a voltage regulator (U3: 7130-1).
1
Closeup of uA shunt, it is two resistors.
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This side has the pads for all the switches and the indicator led for NCV.
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Conclusion
As usual the CAT rating is very doubtful, with 250VAC rated fuses.
Using buttons and a relay instead of a rotary switch works, but is not easier to use.
The reverse LCD means higher power consumption and with a very badly implemented battery empty detector and a fairly low capacity battery, it is not ideal.
The meter works fine enough.
Notes
The multimeter was supplied by Banggood for review.
How do I review a DMM
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Test/review of DMM Aneng M10

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DMM Aneng M10
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This is a cheap DMM with all common function.
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I got it in a plastic envelope.
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The meter and all accessories was protected in a pouch.
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It included the DMM, a pair of probes and a manual.
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The standard probes has removable tip covers.
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The shrouded plug is the slight short type.
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The meter is very light and smooth, i.e. it always requires some counter force when using the rotary switch.
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Display
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The above picture shows all the segments on the display. Not all are used.
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Typical display during usage, it will show the number and what measurement is selected.
Functions
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Buttons:


  • Select: Select the ranges printed with yellow
  • Hold: Freeze the display, hold down to turn backlight on.

Rotary switch:

  • Off: Meter is turned off
  • V: Show voltage, using the yellow button will change between VDC and VAC
  • mV: Show millivolt, using the yellow button will cycle between VDC and VAC
  • ohm: Resistance, continuity, diode and capacitance
  • Hz: Frequency and duty cycle (Use SELECT to change).
  • A: High current DC and AC.
  • mA: Low current DC and AC, due to the PTC protection this range only works up to 200mA
  • Off: Meter is turned off

Input
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  • A: High current ranges
  • COM: The common terminal for all ranges.
  • xxx: All other ranges, including mA. The maximum of 200mA is marked here.

Measurements

  • Volt and frequency

    • 1 VAC is 5% down at 2.4kHz (RMS will not work at the frequency).
    • At 1Vrms input frequency range is from 1.1Hz to 6MHz
    • At 2Vrms input frequency range can be stretched to 14MHz
    • Input impedance is 10-11Mohm on DC and AC
    • mV range is 5Mohm up to about 2V then it drops to a few kOhm, depending on voltage.
    • Frequency counter and duty cycle works without zero crossing in Hz range.
    • Duty cycle works from 5% to above 95% at 100kHz with 4Vpp (1Vpp do not work), precision is within 0.7.
    • Hz input impedance is 1Mohm up to about 2V where it is clamped after the PTC

  • Current

    • uA range is protected with 200mA PTC.
    • 10A range is unfused.
    • 10A range has audible alarm at 20A

  • Ohm, continuity, diode and capacitance

    • Ohm needs about 2.7s to measure 100ohm
    • Ohm voltage is 1.05V open and 0.31mA shorted
    • Continuity is fast (About 15ms).
    • Continuity beeps when resistance is below 50ohm.
    • Continuity is 2.11V open and 0.31mA shorted
    • Diode voltage is 3.96V, display up to 3.3V with 0.34mA, maximum current is 2.0mA shorted
    • 10uF takes about 2.2 seconds to measure.
    • 11000uF takes about 9 seconds to measure.

  • Miscellaneous

    • Current consumption of meter is 1.1mA to 2.4mA depending on range (6mA with backlight)
    • Meter works down to 2.2V where it turns off, battery symbol show at 2.3V.
    • Readings are stable with changing battery voltage.
    • Backlight only works down to about 2.6V where it is fairly dim.
    • Viewing angle is good, except from the top.
    • Display updates around 3 times/sec
    • Backlight will automatic turn off in about 30 seconds.
    • Plugs with full size shroud cannot be fully seated.
    • Will automatic turn power off in about 16 minutes.
    • The meter usual will show the final value in one or two display updates.
    • Weight is 119g without accessories, but with batteries.
    • Size is 130 × 70 × 31mm

  • Probes

    • Probe resistance 52mOhm for one.
    • Probe wire is fairly soft and 67cm long.


1uF
A look at the capacitance measurement waveform while measuring 1uF.
DMMInputVoltageSweepmVDC
mVDC input resistance, mVAC is similar.
DMMInputVoltageSweepHz
Frequency input impedance at different voltages.
DMMschema
mA current input uses a 200mA PTC as protection, this makes it impossible to use the full range.
High DC voltage can block for AC readings.
Tear down
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I had to remove 3 screws to open the meter.
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I cannot see the 10A fuse that is specified on the front of the meter.
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6 more screws to get the circuit board out, the many screws is probably because the circuit board is fairly thin.
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DSC_9388
The volt input terminal has 5 paths, two 10Mohm, a 1Mohm, a PTC fuse and a PTC.
The main 10Mohm path is always directly connected to the IC, the secondary 10Mphm path is directly connected to the chip in mV mode. The 1Mohm path is directly connected to the chip in ohm mode. The PTC path has a transistor pair after it in mV, ohm and Hz mode. The PTC fuse is connected to a 1ohm resistor in mA mode (The PTC itself has 2ohm). The 1 ohm current shut has two diodes across it.
There is no trimpots or EEPROM, this means the chip is one of the new type with EEPROM build in.
DSC_9396
A few more components are hidden below the battery box.
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No components on this side, only areas for the rotary switch, the buttons and the LCD display.
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Conclusion
The safety on this meter is fairly bad because the 10A range is unfused, but the front says it has a fuse. The input terminal is also missing transient protection.
This looks like a “upgrade” to the previous generation from Aneng, but with a cheaper design.
The meter works fine enough and has most common ranges, but it is a bit weak in current ranges.
Notes
How do I review a DMM
More DMM reviews

My website with reviews of many chargers and batteries (More than 1000): https://lygte-info.dk/

[Review] Nitecore NTP31 tactical pen

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Despite being one of the largest flashlight manufacturers, Nitecore`ve created (and will do) bunch different products for EDC / tactical enthusiasts. Usually, these are good-loooking , limited-edition and, therefore, quite expensive things.

For example, here are my reviews of the Nitecore NTK10 titanium utility knife, NTP30 \ Nitecore NTP40

Nitecore NTP31 official page

you can buy at ALIEXPRESS \ BANGGOOD




PACKAGEANDAPPEARANCE

Decent-looking black velvety packaging with silvery embossed contour of pen and model name. Definetely ok to give such box away as a gift.

In addition to the pen itself, the kit includes only a yellow insert that tells about every significant detail.



The pen looks pretty good. Even if it does not have any really frank design pretentiousness such as cut holes of the same NTP48, I am very impressed with this accurate laconic design. A neat brushed aluminum body will match office suit perfectly.

The only part that will distinguish NTP31 from its “peaceful” office cousins ​​is the spring-loaded switch. Move it slightly – wide and short thungsten glass breaker spike comes out from the upper part.


Of course, there are no backlashes, gaps or any other manufacturing and assembly defects at all. All moving parts moves smoothly.


I did not hit glass with this spike (here I have no doubt that it will break through any regular glass), but it is easy to drive it into the wood. And into flesh, of course, when it is about adding some arguments to your “There is no XHP90 LED!” bar brawl.

The grip is quite comfortable. Ultimately, this is a classic-sized pen, so it is quite comfortable to hold it with either a direct or reverse grip. In the latter case, the handle does not slip into the palm of the hand due to the clip and the protruding spike shift lever. Although, it seems to me that the larger NTP10 would be better for such a grip (and, in fairness, worse for writing).


Pen can be disassembled without any tricks. A writing Schneider unit is installed inside.


I write by hand REALLY rarely. And such situations, as a rule, boil down to the fact that I fill my data into the form to pick up the parcel with one more reivew flashlight.

And, frankly, what is written there looks disgusting. But not only due to poor handwriting and lack of practice, but due to the fact that pens with wide marks and monstrous backlash of writing units simply do not allow writing legibly. Every time in such cases I think something like “but if I had a good pen, there would not be this crap here.”

And, believe me, even the handwriting changes with a good pen. So , this part of review of Nitecore NTP31 is devoted to how this tactical pen writes. And it writes, no surprise, wonderfully. The move is easy, smooth.

What to hide, the merit of Nitecore is only in the fact they perfectly, without any slightest gap, cut hole for writing unit. It fits perfectly in diameter. Schneider does the rest.

The obvious fact is that it’s easy to work with a good tool. Whatever it is: a screwdriver, a knife, a flashlight (by the way, here is my guide to choosing flashlights) or a pen – if the thing is done well, then it is a pleasure to work with it. So is with Nitecore NTP31. It fits comfortably in the hand and simply glides on the paper. If I could draw not at the level “It seems a pterodactyl … or maybe a cockroach, you can’t tell right away”, then I would definitely illustrate the review of Nitecore NTP31 with some drawing made with this pen.
But, alas, my abilities are enough just to leave this photo here.

OVERALLIMPRESSIONS

Nitecore don’t always make flashlights that leave me an unconditionally positive impression. But all the models from NTP line, that i had chance to test, did not have any functional and design flaws. They looked great, did not have any, even minimal assembly defects, did what they were intended for with a bang. if Nitecore NTP31 stands out with something here , then only with the price. In better way, i mean. Due to the fact that NTP31 is not made of titanium, the price tag is, albeit not small, but is frankly affordable and accessible not only to collectors.

The final verdict is simple. It is nice, external and functional, comfortable pen, which you will not be ashamed to give as a gift or use yourself. For a simple office worker / student / official, such a pen may not be of interest. But this pen will certainly delight any fan of all sorts of EDC and tactical stuff.

Test/review of DMM Owon B41T+

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DMM Owon B41T+
DSC_5307
Own has a couple of multimeters in this “41” series with some differences. The “B” models has Bluetooth, the “T” models has true RMS and the “+” model has memory for offline logging. I look at the model with Bluetooth, true RMS and offline logging.
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The meter arrived in a brown cardboard box with a minimum of text on it.
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Inside was a pouch with everything in it.
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The box/pouch included the meter, probes, alligator clips, a thermocoupler, transistor tester adapter, pouch, quick guide, specifications, QR code for link to app.
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Probes are marked 1000V 10A and the tip cover is marked CATIII, without the cover there is a CAT II marking.
The tip cover is screw on/off, the alligator clips are also screw on/off.
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The plugs are fully shroud, but a bit on the short side.
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The transistor tester, thermocoupler, capacitor adapter. This way the transistor tester is safe, but only thermocoupler and capacitor adapter is used on this meter.
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A cheap thermocoupler with banana plugs.
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I do not like the plastic for the battery lid, I have the feeling that it is a hard plastic that easily breaks.
Display
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The above picture shows all the segments on the display.
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Normal DC voltage with voltage and bargraph.
Functions
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Buttons:


  • Select: Select between DC and AC and modes in the ohm position.
  • Range: Switch to manual range and select range, hold down to activate automatic ranging again.
  • Hz/Duty: Select frequency and duty cycle in V and A modes.
  • Max/min: Capture maximum and minimum values, press to display one or the other, hold down to exit mode.
  • light: Press to freeze/unfreeze current reading, hold down to turn on background light,
  • rel: Press to use relative mode (REL), hold down to enable/disable Bluetooth.

REL and Max/min disables auto range.
Rotary switch:

  • Off: Meter is turned off.
  • V: Measure DC and AC voltage, DC includes a mV range, in AC it is possible to select frequency.
  • mV: Millivolt range, has two mV ranges for both DC and AC, in AC it is possible to select frequency.
  • ohm: Resistance, continuity and diode
  • Hz%: Frequency, this support up to 60MHz.
  • c: Capacitance
  • Temp: Temperature.
  • uA: The uA range.
  • mA: The mA range.
  • A: The A range.

There is no switch to activate logging, this must be done with the Bluetooth interface.
Input
DSC_5065


  • A: High current, maximum current is 20A
  • mAuA: The lower current ranges and input for thermocoupler
  • CON: The common terminal for all ranges.
  • xxx: All other ranges.

Measurements

  • Volt and frequency

    • Frequency input can handle a DC offset of +/-1.2V with 0.2Vrms input, but needs a few seconds to adjust.
    • At 100mVrms frequency input range is from 2.1Hz to 800kHz
    • At 1Vrms frequency input range is from 2.1Hz to 62MHz
    • At 100mVrms AC input frequency range is from 2.1Hz to 150kHz
    • Duty cycle works from 5% to 95% at 100kHz with 1Vpp, precision is within 6.0 (Due to the offset adjustment the readout takes some seconds to be stable)
    • Duty cycle works from 5% to 95% at 100kHz with 2Vpp, precision is within 4.0 (Due to the offset adjustment the readout takes some seconds to be stable).
    • 1 VAC is 5% up at 110kHz (RMS will not work at the frequency).
    • Max/min needs about 330ms to capture a voltage.
    • Input impedance is 10-11Mohm on DC and AC
    • mV has 10Mohm input impedance up to about 3V, then it drops to 200kOhm at 5 Volt and 2kOhm at 20 volt.
    • There is an audible warning when voltage is too high on any V range, but not on mV range.
    • Frequency input is 10Mohm up to 1 volt then it drops to 1kohm at 5 volt
    • Rated overload protection on V is 1000VDC / 750VAC
    • Rated overload protection on mV and Hz is 250VDC or equivalent AC

  • Current

    • Meter has audible alarm with too high current in uA, mA and A range
    • Overload protection in uA and mA: 1A/250V 5×20mm glass fuse
    • Overload protection in A: 20A/250V 5×20mm ceramic fuse
    • Measuring above 10A must only be performed for a short time.

  • Ohm, continuity, diode and capacitance

    • Ohm needs about 1.0s to measure 100ohm
    • Ohm is -0.39V open and -0.34mA shorted
    • Continuity is very fast (3ms).
    • Continuity beeps when resistance is below 30ohm
    • Continuity is -3.13V open and -1.8mA shorted
    • Diode range uses 2.8V, max. display is 1.9V at 0.64mA, max. current is 1.9mA shorted
    • 10uF takes about 0.8 second to measure.
    • 70000uF takes about 13 seconds to measure.
    • Rated overload protection is 250VDC or equivalent AC

  • Miscellaneous

    • Current consumption of meter is 3.5mA in Hz, 4.3mA in DC 5.4mA AC (16mA with backlight, 13.3mA with Bluetooth and 24mA with both).
    • Meter works down to 1.5V where it turns off, battery symbol show at 2.3V.
    • The meter reading is stable within a few count (About 10) down to the meter turns off.
    • Backlight fades with voltage and is very dim at 2.5V
    • Bluetooth works down to 1.6V
    • Bluetooth disconnects fast when outside range.
    • Local logging is done on the Bluetooth transceiver, this means it must be controlled from a phone.
    • The meter usual needs two updates before reading is correct.
    • Viewing angle is limited both from the top and the bottom.
    • Display updates around 2 times/sec.
    • Bargraph updates 30 times/sec
    • Backlight will turn off in 57 seconds
    • Will automatic turn power off in about 30 minutes
    • Standard probes cannot be fully inserted into sockets on meter, but make connection, banana plugs can be fully inserted.
    • Weight is 335g without accessories, but with batteries.
    • Size is 185 × 88 × 45mm.

  • Probes

    • Probe resistance 31mOhm for one.
    • Probe wire is soft and 87cm long.


1uF
A look at the capacitance measurement waveform, measuring 1uF.
DMMInputVoltageSweepHz
Frequency input resistance.
DMMInputVoltageSweepmVDC
Input impedance on mV range.
DMMschema
Battery time is without Bluetooth, with Bluetooth it is around 200 hours.
Software Android
The Bluetooth phone software must be downloaded from Owon site and requires access to phone information, contacts, location and storage. I disabled the phone and contact access and the application still works.
s2s
The software I got was V1.2.9 and I downloaded the Bluetooth 4 version. The program is called “MultimeterBLE” on Android.
s4s
The typical meter display, the blue fields will activate buttons on the meter (it is still possible to use the button on the meter).
The microphone will enable English voice annotations of the value, the language is not perfect but understandable. The menu besides the microphone is used for meters with internal logging.
The software will only work in landscape mode.
s3s
Here max/min has been activates, it is shown, but could have been more obvious.
s9s
The software can support more than one meter, I only had one meter and have not tried this function.
s5s
The logging mode, it shows a curve and a table, this data is also collected when showing the other display.
The chart has some problems: It do not change scale between mV and V, i.e. 600mV is shown as 600 and 2V is shown as 2 on the chart, this can occur in the same chart! This means it may be necessary to use the RANGE switch to get consistent charts.
I did not find a way to stretch the chart or table to full screen width. The chart and table will not reset if the range switch is turned, it will just continue to add data.
s6s
It is possible to zoom in/out on the curve, either with the buttons in the gray area or with two fingers.
s7s
On this screen the menu has function to save the data and share the saved data. I shared it with an email program and received the email on my PC.
s1s
The settings can be used to adjust the sample interval and to set a time limit on how long to record the data. The “Fill” option will add a blue shading below the curve.
data
The data is saved in a csv/TAB file using US format and without any headers, this means I cannot directly import it into Excel (I need to specify format each time).
s10s
The offline record mode must be started from a phone, it cannot be started on the meter. When recording Bluetooth is disabled, but the Bluetooth symbol is used as record symbol on the meter.
s11s
When the recording is finished Bluetooth can be enabled again on the meter and the phone can be connect for download.
Tear down
DSC_5285
Before I open the meter the batteries must be removed, to open the meter there is four small screws.
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I had to remove five screws before I could take the circuit board out.
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The current input uses four shunt resistors, for uA it is R43 (900ohm) with diodes in parallel and R42 (90ohm), for mA it is R39 (9ohm) with diodes in parallel and R40 (1ohm), this configuration gives a fairly high burden voltage, the protection is a 1A glass fuse, but it will not protect the R42 in the uA range and is fairly bad protection for R40. The voltage input only has PTC’s, not MOV’s this means high transient voltage may damage the meter.
The voltage input uses a “Black Box” resistor (R15) with capacitors (Include trim capacitors) for AC compensation. For ohm and capacity there is dual PTC’s and transistor pairs (RT4 with Q4 & Q5, RT1 with Q15 & Q16), mV has a single PTC and transistor pair (RT3 with Q1 & Q6) and HZ also has a single PTC and dual transistor pair (RT2 Q8, Q9 Q10, Q11). The TEMP input do not have a PTC but goes directly to a transistor (Q1 near the reference). There is a lot of trimpots for adjusting the meters and they are labelled with range (Note AC22V & AC2.2V is capacitors and for high frequency response).
The main multimeter IC (U12: ES51932: 22000 count DMM chip) is a single chip, but with external RMS converter (U10: AD8439: RMS converter). The Bluetooth interface is a module (U15/U1: CC2541) with its own programmable processor, this is also the secret behind the off-line data collection, it is handled by this module, not by the multimeter.
For the input, there is a OpAmp (U16: SGMOP17C) next to a reference (U14: LM385B: Reference 1.2V). The large collection of diodes (D2, D3, D4, D6, D7, D9, D24, D25, D26, D27, D28, D29) is probably encoding of the rotary switch for the multimeter chip.
DSC_5301
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DSC_5303
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There is space for a diode bridge (D19..D23) to protect the uAmA shunt resistors, but it is not mounted, it would probably affect the ranges too much.
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The LCD display is mounted with four screws.
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There is hidden a couple of resistors, capacitors, diodes and a single transistor under the display.
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Conclusion
The CAT rating cannot be correct with 250V fuses.
The meter has a nice collection of ranges and good resolution, but the burden voltage is high, the high uA and mA is rather bad. The off-line logging must be controlled from a phone, it cannot be initiated on the meter.
Except for some current ranges it is a good multimeter.
Notes
How do I review a DMM
More DMM reviews
Multimeter design, this explains a lot more about DMM’s than my tear-downs

My website with reviews of many chargers and batteries (More than 1000): https://lygte-info.dk/

[Review] Pokka Pen

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I wouldn't normally post this here, but this is budget light forum, and this seems like a good budget alternative to the Fisher Bullet - so if you're a pen nut like me, give it a quick read!

The Product

The Pokka Pen is a small plastic pen designed to be affordable and pocket-able. It's available in a wide range of colors and patterns, but the 3 I have to look at today are yellow, blue, and orange. The cap of the Pokka Pen attaches to the tail end to form a full length pen when in use, for more comfortable writing. Pokka also sent along a pocket clip and a notebook to take a look at as part of the kit.


Spoiler

This pen is a great idea, and a great execution. I love how small and light it is when carrying, and the 'pop' the two parts make when you pull them apart is very satisfying. There's a bit of play between the two pieces, and the light weight of the pen isn't as nice when you're writing with it - but I really think that's fine. This isn't the tool I'd use to write a 3 hour exam, but it's definitely something I can (and do) keep in a pocket in case I need to take a quick note, sign a receipt, or lend it to a friend. The writing experience reflects that as well. This is a bog-standard ball point pen, akin to what you might find in a Bic. Even so, it writes just fine. It works when I expect it to on all sorts of paper, and it's not unpleasant at all.

It would be impossible to get through this article without talking about the Fisher Bullet, so I'll get that out of the way now. Yes, this cap back design is functionally similar. I'm aware of that, and I'm certain that the people at Pokka are too. The biggest differentiating factor is the price - the Bullet goes for around $20, depending on sales. While I certainly don't think $20 is unreasonable to spend on a pen, some people will - especially if you loose it. The pack of 3 I have to look at today goes for under $9. I find the weight and solid build of the Fisher makes it a bit more comfortable to write with. The Pokka pen's lighter weight makes it more comfortable and easy to forget about in a pocket. The Pokka also writes nicer, since the pressurized ink Fisher uses is notoriously viscous. Both are available in a wide variety of colors and styles, so pick whichever suits you best.

Physical Dimensions

The pen measures 11.5 mm at the widest point, and the grip is 7.5 mm. Closed, the length is 83 mm, and it extends to 137.5 (including the tip) in use.

For size comparison: Pokka pen closed with clip, Fisher Bullet, Pokka pen open, Nitecore NTP40Lumintop IYP365 Ti (not a pen).

Build

The pen is made up of two pieces - the grip, and the cap.

The cap is a simple injection molded tube, closed on one end. The brand is molded into the side, but it doesn't stick out very far and isn't noticeable at first glance. There are some small marks from the injection process - but again, you have to be looking to find them.

 

The grip has two o-rings at the top to lock the cap in place either closed, or open as a full length pen. There's a black cap on this end that doesn't seem to be removable. When the cap is installed it can move a tiny bit if pressure is applied, and this seems to vary a bit across the 3 pens I have. Could be due to variance in the O-rings or the bodies themselves. If you wanted to further customize your pen, I'm sure you could find other colors of these O-rings to add your own flair.

The cartridge is friction fit into the grip, and can be replaced with a pair of pliers. There's no play or wiggle at all here.

Ergonomics and Retention

When writing, the cap sits high on the tail to give an almost full length pen. This gives the pen a very natural feel, no different to what most people are used to using in an office.

 

Even with these features, I think this pen is best suited as a back up or for short notes - I certainly wouldn't plan on writing an essay with it. The cap on the back of the pen adds to the length, but the pen is still much lighter than I like and has a bit of play to it. The grip section is comfortable, but smooth.

For retention, the add-on pocket clip can be slid over any part of the cap, directed either way. The clip has a good shape, and keeps a solid grip on both the pen and your pocket. For me, the biggest advantage is that the clip stops the pen from rolling away when in use.

Writing and Refills

Here's a visual comparison to a few of my most used pens and inks. The Pokka refill flows smoothly and doesn't get gummy in my experience, but it obviously doesn't glide as well as a rollerball or the Quink.

Refills aren't any standard format, but the company sells them in black, red, and blue. There's also a Pokka pen available with Rite in the Rain branding that uses a Fisher refill I would imagine to write similar to the PR4, though those are currently unavailable. 

Notebook

Since Pokka also sent a little notebook, here's a few words on that. It's a standard Rite in the Rain book, with a black cover. I was surprised to find that the paper is much more natural feeling and nicer to write on than the Field Notes Explorer I usually use. I'm also a huge fan of the dot/line markings on these pages, and the two rulers on the back cover are a nice touch. Not much else I can say about it, but it's real nice. If you want a waterproof notebook, get one of these.

Summary

Pros:

  • Great compact form factor
  • Lots of colors to choose from
  • Lightweight and inexpensive

Cons:

  • Ergonomics aren't comfortable for extended writing
  • Some play between the cap and body of the pen

Notes and Links

This product was provided by the manufacturer. I was not paid to write this review, and have tried to be as unbiased as possible.

Manufacturer's product page (tracking link with coupon code)

Product listing on Amazon (affiliate link)

Find all my reviews of flashlights and more gear at www.bmengineer.com

Test/review of DMM Brymen BM829s

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DMM Brymen BM829s
DSC_7153
This is the fairly advanced Brymen meter with good precision and PC connection (Must be bought separately).
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The meter arrived in a cardboard box that is used for a couple of models, on the back is a table comparing them. This meter is the most fully featured, except it is missing off-line logging.
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The box included the meter, two probes, a thermocoupler (Meter supports two) and the manual (It can also be downloaded).
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Probes are branded with B.T.C. and has removable tip covers.
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The probe-tip has different configuration, one is rated for up to CAT IV 1000V like the meter.
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The plug is fully shrouded and standard probe plug size.
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A standard thermocoupler with a standard dual banana connector.
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The meter is heavy and the tilting bale can hold it while the range switch is used or the buttons is pressed.
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The PC connection is here with an optical link.
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The tilting bale can be moved a bit and then be used to hang the meter on.
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The rubber sleeve must be removed to replace the battery. There is a rubber seal around the battery cover.
Display
DSC_7166
The above picture shows all the segments on the display, not all are used.
There are two 4 digit display and a bargraph. In most modes the readings goes up to 6300, but a few support 9999.
DSC_7167
Normal AC voltage with voltage, frequency and bargraph.
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In DC volt it is possible to show both AC and DC volt, but the bargraph disappears.
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There is no diode symbol, instead the small display is used to write diode.
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The NCV or Electric field mode, it can show from 1 to 5 bars
Dual and single display functions (After / is small display):
VAC: VAC/Hz, dBm/Hz, Hz/VAC
VDC: VDC, VDC/VAC, DC+AC/VAC
mVDC: mVDC, mVDC/mVAC, mVDC+mVAC/mVAC, Hz, Duty Cycle
mVAC: mVAC/Hz, dBm/Hz, Hz/mVAC
Temp: T1, T2, T1/T2, T1-T2/T2 (Use RANGE to select)
uA, mA, A: ADC, ADC/AAC, ADC+AAC/AAC, AAC/Hz
Functions
DSC_7179
Buttons (Range selection and a few other are remembered):


  • Select (Yellow): Select between the different modes on each position of the range switch, hold down to activate background light. Meter will remember the selection and use it next time the range is selected.
  • Range: Switch to manual range and select range, hold down to activate automatic ranging again. In dB mode this button will select reference impedance from 20 different values, in temperature mode it will select different combinations of thermocouplers.
  • delta: Shows values relative to current value.
  • Hold: Freeze the display, press again to release. Hold down to select NCV or electric field mode, the range switch is ignored.
  • Crest: Peak mode, will record and show fast min/max. Use button to change between min/max/max-min. Hold down to end mode.
  • Rec: Minimum/maximum mode, will record min/max values. Use button to change between actual/max/min/max-min/average. Hold down to end mode.

Rotary switch:

  • Auto: Meter will automatic select between ohm, continuity, VAC, VDC with LowZ on voltage ranges.
  • Off: Meter is turned off.
  • VAC: Measure AC voltage, frequency and dB
  • VDC: Measure DC voltage, AC voltage and AC+DC voltage.
  • mVDC: Millivolt range, measure DC voltage, AC voltage, AC+DC voltage, frequency and duty cycle.
  • mVAC: Millivolt range, measure AC voltage, frequency and dB
  • ohm: Resistance and continuity, the nS makes it possible to measure very huge resistance
  • T1 T2: Measure temperature with one or two thermocouplers, can also show difference between them.
  • C: Capacitance and diode range.
    values.
  • A mA: This is either mA or A depending on where the probe is connected. It will measure DCA, ACA, ACA+DCA, frequency
  • uA: The uA range. It will measure DCA, ACA, ACA+DCA and frequency.

dB reference impedance: 4, 8, 16, 32, 50, 75, 93, 110, 125, 135, 150, 200, 250, 300, 500, 600, 800, 900, 1000, 1200
Input
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  • A: High current, maximum current is 10A, also ground for second thermocoupler.
  • mAuA: The lower current ranges and + input for the second thermocoupler.
  • CON: The common terminal for all ranges.
  • xxx: All other ranges.

Measurements

  • Volt and frequency

    • Frequency input (mVDC) has a trigger point around 1.2V
    • At 1Vrms frequency input (mVDC) range is from 2Hz to 180kHz
    • At 5Vrms frequency input (mVDC) range is from 2Hz to 3.3MHz
    • Frequency input (mVAC) requires a zero crossing
    • At 100mVrms input on mVAC range, frequency range is from 2Hz to 65kHz
    • Frequency input (VAC) do not require a zero crossing, it is AC coupled.
    • At 1Vrms input on VAC range, frequency range is from 2Hz to 29kHz
    • Duty cycle works from 5% to 99% at 100kHz with 4Vpp, precision is within 3.5
    • Duty cycle works from 1% to 99% at 10kHz with 4Vpp, precision is within 0.4
    • 1 VAC is 5% down at 7kHz (RMS will not work at the frequency).
    • 0.5 VAC in mVAC is 5% up at 16kHz (RMS will not work at the frequency).
    • Auto range works when doing min/max, peak and relative.
    • Auto input has just below 1V out to detect a resistor, it will switch to VDC at 1.2VDC input or VAC at 0.6VAC input.
    • Max/min (Rec) needs about 570ms to capture a voltage, it may use multiple captures to get the final value.
    • Peak (Creast) needs about 0.7ms to capture a DC voltage, it may use multiple captures to get the final value.
    • Input impedance is 10-11Mohm on DC
    • VAC input has a capacitor and is 10Mohm after that.
    • mV DC/AC has 10Mohm input impedance up to about 3.5V, then it drops to 20kohm at 10 volt and 4kOhm at 35 volt.
    • Frequency input is similar to mV
    • Rated overload protection on V ranges is 1050VDC/VAC and 12kV transient.
    • Rated overload protection is 600VDC/VAC and 12kV transient in mV range.

  • Current

    • Overload protection in uA and mA: 0.44A/1000V 10×38mm fuse
    • Overload protection in A: 11A/1000V 10×38mm fuse
    • There is an audible warning and display shows “InEr” when using non current ranges with a probe in mAuA or A input.

  • Ohm, continuity, diode and capacitance

    • Ohm needs about 1.9s to measure 100ohm
    • Ohm is 1.0V open and 0.17mA shorted
    • Continuity is very fast (Below 5ms).
    • Continuity beeps when resistance is below 220ohm
    • Continuity is 1.2V open and 0.17mA shorted
    • Conductivity (nS) is 1.2V open and 0.3uA shorted
    • In conductivity it is best to keep some distance to the meter.
    • Diode range uses 3.1V, max. display is 2.000V at 0.14mA, max. current is 0.38mA shorted
    • 10uF takes about 2.8 seconds to measure.
    • 11000uF takes about 9.5 seconds to measure, it shows a wrong value first.
    • Rated overload protection is 600VDC/VAC and 12kV transient.

  • Miscellaneous

    • Current consumption of meter is 4mA-5mA (35mA with backlight)
    • Meter works down to 4.0V where it says “InEr”, battery symbol show at 6.7V.
    • The meter reading is stable down to 5.6V, then it will show too high value (It was 36% to high at 4V).
    • Backlight is stable until meter reports “InEr”.
    • The meter sometimes need a couple of updates before the reading is fully correct.
    • Viewing angle is good
    • Display updates around 5 times/sec.
    • Bargraph updates 60 times/sec
    • Backlight will turn off in 30 seconds
    • Will automatic turn power off in about 30 minutes without any warning.
    • Standard probes fits perfectly into sockets on meter.
    • Weight is 630g without accessories, with sleeve and battery.
    • Size is 208 × 102 × 64mm.

  • Probes

    • Probe resistance 30mOhm for one.
    • Probe wire is soft and 100cm long.


1uF
A look at the capacitance measurement waveform.
DMMInputVoltageSweepHz
Frequency input resistance, this is similar to mV
DMMschema
Software
The software must be bought separately.
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The box only includes a cable and a CD. The CD contains software for many different meters and also files describing the data format (It is the display segments, not digits that is transmitted). The software can be downloaded directly from Brymen without any problems, this is what I did for this meter.
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The opto adapter has two leds and some mechanic to lock it securely in place.
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Here it is mounted on the meter.
1s2s
I downloaded the software from Brymen and it says it is a alpha version, the program inside the ZIP file has a file data from 2012.
3s
When started the program is a couple of windows, they can be opened and closed separately. The table and chart view can be resized.
14
There is one more window available.
4s
Pressing the connect button shows one or two values from the meter, but there is no special support for min/max/peak functions, it will show the same value as the display, but no indicator.
5s
Starting record will update the chart and the table. The chart will only show the main value and the scale will depend on the currently selected range.
67
It is possible to adjust the sample interval.
8s
And export the data.
9s
Here I did a chart where I only logged DC volt, the update is faster than above where I logged AC and DC volt.
10s
The standard chart window will only show a fixed amount of data, but when acquisition is stopped it is possible to show all sample points in on chart (Still only one value).
11s
Here the meter has to change between the two mV ranges while logging, it delays the data a bit, but the curve is scaled correctly.
12s
It is possible to play with design of the chart.
log
The saved data contains both values from the display and is in a US CSV format.
Tear down
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I had to unscrew four screws in addition to the battery cover to open the meter, they are captive and stays in the back.
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On this meter the front is removed, the range switch is connected with a metal pin.
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Fuse replacement requires to open the meter.
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One screw more and the electronic could be removed. There is a couple of shields around the input terminals.
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Here all 3 shields can be seen, one in black plastic and two in thin nearly transparent plastic. The missing screw is standard for Brymen (It is missing on all the similar Brymen I have tested), only one screw is needed to hold the circuit board in place.
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The back of the meter has a shield with holes for the buzzer and the IR communication.
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The meter uses two stacked circuit boards.
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I had to remove four small screws to take the two circuit boards apart.
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The current input terminals a switch to sense when used, they are routed with resistors (R3 & R20: 10MOhm) in shrink wrap. The current sense shunts are place above the 11A fuse, there is the usual wire shunt (R32), a leaded resistor (R24: 0.82ohm) for mA and a SMD (R19: 85ohm) for uA. The diode (D1, D2, D3, D4) protection is placed near the uAmA GND input terminal and the mA fuse.
The voltage input has two paths, both with resistor (R42, R44, R49, R??: 4×1kOhm) and PTC’s (PTC1 & PTC2), after the PTC are MOVs (VAR1, VAR2. VAR3: 2×820V + 1×1000V). The capacitor (C13: 10nF 1000V) for AC input is also her. The input divider resistor (R48: 10MOhm) is on a ceramic plate.
There is no PTC resistor for the LowZ input, this means the meter is using one of the main input paths for that
The ohm and capacitor input has a couple of transistor pairs (Q5, Q18, Q29, Q27 / Q23, Q2B / Q2, Q3, Q13 / Q22, Q24), in this case some of the “pairs” are more than two transistors.
The RMS converter (U9: AD737J) is next to the reference (U3: LM385Z-1.2), the circuit has two analog muxes (U2 6 U15: 74HC4053), the ADC is probably part of the main chip (U1: BTC AD-81-2), together with lots of muxes.
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More detailed pictures.
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On this side is the two communication leds and springs for connecting to the buzzer and shield. Then GND (Black terminal) needed a batter connection that the circuit board and is reinforced with a wire.
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The top circuit board has pads for the rotary switch and a lot of connections to the bottom board.
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There was two screws holding the display in place.
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The chip (U23: BTC 0197-0A0A) is definitely a LCD driver, it may also be the main processor in the meter, there is a EEPROM (U17: S24CS02: 256 bytes) between the keys. This board is used in multiple models as can be seen on the marking at the lower right.
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Conclusion
This meter has a lot of protection and mounted the right way, it do also have very large fuses. There is one caveat, it is rated for 1000V, but many ranges has a maximum of 600V.
All the common ranges are present and also a lot of extra functions like Peak, Average, Dual-display, AC+DC. This makes it a very universal high end meter with just about any desired function. I would have liked better support for LED testing.
Notes
How do I review a DMM
More DMM reviews
Multimeter design, this explains a lot more about DMM’s than my tear-downs

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Test/review of Logic Analyzer 8 channels 24MHz

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Equipment Logic Analyzer 8 channels 24MHz
DSC_7432
Official specifications:


  • Voltage Range: 0V~5.5V
  • 24MHz 8 Channel.
  • Logic samples each channel at up to 24M times per second.
  • Logic has 8 inputs — it can monitor 8 different digital signals at once.
  • Fine workmanship and good performance.
  • Easy to use.
  • Long service life.

I got it from Ebay dealer: kk-318
This is a very cheap logic analyzer with 8 channels, it did not include any software and that is a very important part of a logic analyzer.
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I was in a antistatic plastic bag inside a envelope.
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The bag contained the analyzer, a USB-mini cable and 10 test wires (Dupont cables).
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Using a USB-mini is a bit old fashioned, but at least the cable was included. The input is a header with 10 pins that fits dupont cables, two a ground the rest is signal.
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This is standard dupont wire, this means replacement are easy to get and also some with a pin in one end for directly connecting to breadboard.
DSC_7438
Some input wires connected.
Software
This piece of hardware is fairly standard and the lack of software is not a serious problem, the two possibilities are: Sigrok PulseView and Saleae Logic.
I started with PulseView, there was a bit fun with installing a driver, but it worked. Later I tried Logic, but it could not find the logic analyzer.
09s
It do not look like a perfect fit, because it also includes a analog channel and that is not present on this logic analyzer, everything else looks fine.
04
Lets get rid of the analog channel.
01s
Four outputs from a binary counter.
02s
The time scale at top may not be the best ways to check the timing with, but this software has a lot of tools all in the decoder menu. Here I use a “Timing” decoder on D2. The delta time of 1.000us is due to the 1MHz sample rate, the software do not reduce the shown digits to the actual resolution.
03s
Some other options. The blue area is the cursor and A & B is markers.
The cursor can be used to measure time with, the markers makes it easier to find a specific location on the timeline.
08s
Here I look on a couple of PWM signals and I use 3 PWM decoders at the same time.
10
Lets use a trigger, this means sampling will not start before this condition is true.
When more channels has a trigger condition they must all be true at the same time.
07s
Data for a Neopixel inclusive a timing decoder and a WS2812 decoder. Here I am missing a button to zoom on available data, I had to use the scroll wheel to zoom in on the data.
11s
A look at some slow I2C communication where I have named the data lines and is using a I2C decoder. This is a beta version of PulseView where the decoders are grouped.
Tear-down
DSC_7423
There is no screws, the box is just clipped together and can be pulled apart.
DSC_7424
Each input has a 100 ohm resistor and a 100kOhm pull down before a HC245 buffer. There is a 3.3V regulator and a EPPROM (24C02: 256 bytes).
DSC_7425
This chip basically does everything, it contains a USB interface, a 8051 processor, hardware based fifos that can stream directly to USB.
chip
From the data sheet.
DSC_7426
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DSC_7429
Conclusion
The logic analyzer is a nice supplement to many oscilloscopes, especially cheap models. The many decoders are way beyond what most scopes usual can do and decoders will often cost money for scopes, here they are free. The logic analyzer is not as fast as a scope and can only show two levels, this makes it fine for checking a lot of timing, but useless to check signal levels. I tested with both 3.3V and 5V logic, both worked.
Officially the maximum sample rate is 24MHz, but the software frequently locked up when I tried to use that, lower sample rates worked fine.
The software (PulseView) could use a better user interface and some grouping of the decoders (This is present in the newest beta).
This is a very good accessory when working with microprocessors, PWM, protocols, etc., but it cannot replace a scope, only supplement it.
Notes
Sigrok PulseView: https://sigrok.org/wiki/Downloads
Manual: https://sigrok.org/doc/pulseview/0.4.1/manual.pdf
Saleae Logic: https://www.saleae.com/downloads/
Both pieces of software can be downloaded and tested, they will generate some simulation data.

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Astrolux TP01 Review

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Astrolux TP-01 Review

I got a cool pen!

For starters: It's a pen. It writes, in ink. The cartridge itself isn't anything to write home about, but that's not why we're here. It is replaceable with a common cartridge size, if that's your thing. I'm eyeing one with purple ink, myself.

The pen claims to be machined in raw titanium. I don't have the equipment to actually test that, but I'm at least sure it's not aluminum. It's also not steel, although I was surprised to find the pen somewhat weakly attracted to a magnet. I set about disassembling it (all the tools were included), and found that the ink cartridge has a steel sleeve. Without that (or the spring), the entirety of the pen body was not attracted to a magnet. I don't have any reason to think it's not titanium, and it has the right feel.

The overall feel of the pen is raw. When I'm holding it or writing with it (or fidgeting with the bolt-action mechanism), it feels like raw machined metal. This is not a finished feel, this is not a smooth or refined feeling for a pen. But it is kind of cool. It's nice that the clip is removable, and that they supply all the tools to disassemble the pen, as well as a spare of each of three screws (two for the clip, and one for the end of the pen which retains the ink cartridge) and even an extra spring. It can be fully dis- and re-assembled with ease. The only trick is to re-insert the "bolt" from the bolt-action with the shallow cutout facing away from the pen tip.

Let me be serious for a moment. You don't need this pen. I don't need this pen. It doesn't offer any real advantage over other available pens, and it even lacks some of the common additional features of tacticool pens (like a window-breaking point, because a pen needs that?). But it's cool, and it's made of nerd-metal. I will admit that it's likely to make me replace ink cartridges rather than entire pens, and I'll use it more than my other pens because it's cool. So maybe it has a tiny net impact on my plastic use/waste. And maybe the mechanism will be more reliable than other clicky pens I own. But I'll be honest, I can only remember buying one pack of pens in the last ten years, and that was nominally for use at university. My pens before that were provided by parents, and my pens after that have mostly been the left-behind pens of retail customers at a previous place of employment. I still have several Pilot G2s from that...

This pen writes worse than my Pilot G2s or my Uni-Ball Jetstreams. Although it bleeds less than either and can't be smudged like the G2, it's just an average ballpoint cartridge. It's also a bit short; it looks worse than it is, but it's around a half-inch shorter than most of my other pens sitting at my desk. 

Disclaimer: I don't do any affiliate stuff. I didn't receive any compensation for this review; I bought the pen because I wanted it. I will admit, I didn't pay full price, M4d M4x helped me out a bit.

Old Lumens Contest 2020 - Hand-made light category

ZL SC62(w) | Jaxman E2L XP-G2 5A | Purple S2+ XPL-HI U6-3A | D4 w/ Luxeon V | RRT-01 | Purple FW3A, 4000K SST20 | Baton S1
Boruit D10 w/ Quadrupel Fet+1/Anduril | EagTac D25C Ti | DQG Slim AA Ti | Jaxman E3 | UF-T1 by CRX | Olight S15 Ti | Nitecore EX11.2
L6 XHP70.2 P2 4000K FET+7135 | Jaxman M8 | MF02 | Jaxman Z1 CULNM1.TG | Blue S2+ w/ ML Special | Thrunite T10Tv2
Supfire M6 3xXHP50.2, Sofirn C8F, Unfinished: Sofirn SP70, IYP07/Tool AAA hot-rods, Jetbeam E3S
Others: Nitecore EC23 | Nebo Twyst | Streamlight ProTac 1AA | TerraLux LightStar 100

Test/review of DMM Aneng V7

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DMM Aneng V7
DSC_8226
This is a cheap DMM with all common function. It is both manual and auto ranging.
DSC_8115DSC_8116DSC_8117DSC_8118
DSC_8119
The box for the meter is designed for both the V7 and V8 meter.
DSC_8223DSC_8224
Inside the box is a pouch with everything in it, except the manual.
DSC_8227
The package included the DMM, a pair of standard probes, the universal probes, a thermocoupler and a manual in addition to the pouch.
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DSC_8234
The probes are unbranded and has removable tip covers and is rated for CAT II 1000V and CAT IV 600V
DSC_8235
The plug is shrouded.
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DSC_8237
The thermocoupler is designed for insertion into stuff and is with banana plugs.
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DSC_8228
The universal probes can be assembled to many different configuration, they are not high quality, but very useful.
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When using the tilting bale it is possible to turn the switch, but not use the buttons with one hand.
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Display
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All the segments on the display.
DSC_8325
Typical screen during usage, show the range.
DSC_8245
In auto mode it will show “Auto” until voltage or resistance is detected.
DSC_8252
Holding down the NCV button will show EF (Electric field) on the display and change to bars when a actual field is detected. The led below the display will flash red and the buzzer will also sound.
DSC_8402
Between the buttons is a led, it can show red, green and “yellow”, it is used for NCV, continuity and battery test.
Functions
DSC_8248
Buttons:


  • Rel: Shows values relative to current value, will also select manual range. Press again to disable.
  • NCV: When held down the meter is in NCV mode, will override any selected range.
  • Select (Yellow): Select the ranges printed with yellow (Hz/duty-cycle, DC/AC, frequency in 750VAC, frequency for frequency out) mode and between °C/°F
    flashlight: Turns the flashlight on.
  • Max/min: Starts recording maximum and minimum value, press to select between max/min, hold down to disable
  • Hold (Blue): Freezes the display reading, hold down for backlight to turn on.

Rotary switch:

  • Off: Meter is turned off
  • Auto: Meter is in automatic mode, it can measure volt and resistance and will automatic select range.
  • 5 x VDC: The different volt DC ranges from 600mV to 1000V.
  • 5 x VAC: The different volt AC ranges from 600mV to 750V.
  • 6 x A: The different current ranges, use SELECT to change between AC and DC.
  • Batt12V: 12V Battery test
  • Batt9V: 9V Battery test
  • Batt1.5V: 1.5V Battery test
  • FreqOut: Frequency output from 50Hz to 5000Hz, use SELECT to step the frequency.
  • Temp: Temperature with a thermocoupler, use SELECT for °C/°F
  • Hz %: Frequency and duty-cycle.
  • diode: Continuity and diode mode, there is no selection, it is a single mode that do both and for a combined mode it works fairly well.
  • 6 x ohm: The manual resistance ranges, the 600ohm range is only present here, AUTO will not use it.
  • C: Capacity

Input
DSC_8249


  • 20A: High current, it can only withstand 10+ ampere for a short time (Fuse is 10A).
  • mAuA: The lower current ranges, the selector switch will change between two different shunts (Fuse is 600mA).
  • CON: The common terminal for all ranges.
  • xxx: All other ranges.

The terminals fairly retracted into the meter.
Measurements

  • Volt and frequency

    • At 1Vrms input frequency input range is from 0.7Hz to 5MHz
    • Frequency input can handle a DC offset from -2.2V to 2.2V with 1Vrms input.
    • Duty cycle works from 1% to above 90% at 100kHz with 2Vpp, precision is within 2.0
    • Duty cycle works from 1% to above 99% at 100kHz with 4Vpp, precision is within 0.1
    • 1 VAC is 5% down at 2.1kHz (RMS will not work at the frequency), AUTO and manual is similar.
    • Max/min needs less than 150ms to capture a voltage, but need many pulses for it.
    • Input impedance is between 0.8 and 0.9Mohm on DC and AC
    • Input impedance is 10Mohm in mV ranges, up to about 2V, then it drops to 2kOhm.
    • AUTO needs about 0.85V DC or 0.8V AC to select range, it beeps when below 50ohm, lowest ohm range is 6kOhm.
    • In AUTO mode the input voltage must be below 500V, above it will show OL and beep.

  • Current

    • 20A range will give audible alarm at 10A and show OL above 20A
    • Overload protection in uA and mA: 0.6A/250V 5×20mm ceramic fuse
    • Overload protection in A: 20A/250V 6×30mm ceramic fuse

  • Ohm, Continuity, diode and capacitance

    • Ohm needs about 0.6s to measure 100ohm (Manual range makes it very fast), using AUTO it is about 1.5s
    • Ohm is 1.0V open and 0.27mA shorted in 600ohm range
    • Ohm is 0.7V open and 1.6uA down to 0.5uA shorted in other ranges
    • Continuity is fast (About 20ms), AUTO is very slow (About 500ms).
    • Continuity beeps when resistance is below 50ohm, this is also when it switches from diode to continuity.
    • Continuity & diode is 3.9V open and 0.27mA shorted
    • Continuity & diode uses diode mode from 0.07V to 3.0V, current at 3V is 0.27mA
    • 10uF takes about 4 seconds to measure.
    • 11000uF takes about 11 seconds to measure.
    • No overload protection is rated, except for AUTO mode.

  • Miscellaneous

    • 12V battery test uses a 100ohm resistor
    • 9V battery test uses a 910ohm resistor
    • 1.5V battery test uses a 180ohm resistor
    • Frequency output has the following frequencies: 50, 100, 200, 300, 400, 500, 600, 700, 800, 900, 1000, 2000, 3000, 4000, 5000Hz
    • Current consumption of meter is 1.2mA to 2.4mA, diode is 2.4mA, most ranges are around 1.6mA (Backlight add 3.2mA, flashlight 2.6mA, max total current is 8.2mA).
    • Meter works down to 2.1V where it shows OL, it turns off at 2V, battery symbol show at 2.9V.
    • Reading is stable down to 2.3V, then it will increase.
    • Backlight and flashlight is stable down to 3.1V where it will fade out at 2.6V
    • The meter usual need a couple of display update to reach the final value.
    • Viewing angle is good.
    • Display updates around 3 times/sec
    • Flashlight do not turn automatic off, but will turn off when the meter turns off.
    • Backlight will automatic turn off in about 120 seconds.
    • Will automatic turn power off in about 16 minutes.
    • Standard probes can nearly be pushed fully down.
    • Weight is 412g without accessories, but with rubber sleeve and batteries.
    • Size is 176 × 91 × 47mm with rubber sleeve.

  • Probes

    • Standard probe resistance 40mOhm for one.
    • Standard probe wire is 79cm long.
    • Custom probe resistance is 56mOhm
    • Custom probe wire is 86cm long


1uF
A look at the capacitance measurement waveform.
50Hzunloaded
50Hz frequency output, it goes slightly below zero.
5000Hzunloaded
5000Hz frequency output, it also goes slightly below zero.
50Hz3700ohm
50Hz output loaded with 3700 ohm halved the RMS output voltage, there is a output capacitor that is on the small side.
5000Hz1220ohm
5000Hz output with 1220ohm load, again the output is halved, but the curve looks much better.
DMMInputVoltageSweepHz
Frequency input resistance depends on input voltage.
DMMInputVoltageSweepmVDC
The mV range has 10Mohm, until the protection clamps, this is measured on the 600mV range, AC and DC is similar.
DMMschema
Voltage input is a bit low in input impedance at 1Mohm in manual range and 280kOhm in AUTO mode, this is basically always Low-Z.
It handled a mix of AC and DC voltage rather well, the AUTO shows the highest or both if they are similar.
It only supports showing frequency in 750VAC range or with the logic input frequency range.
Tear down
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I had to remove four small screws to open the meter.
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And six more screws to remove the circuit board
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The range switch has seven contacts, a lot of encoding must be done to tell the chip what range is selected, a few signals must also be switches.
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The LCD display is screwed and clipped to the circuit board.
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Two more screws and it was loose.
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All parts are on this side. The 600uA shunt (R1: 99ohm) is next to the mA shunt (R22: 1ohm), only the uA shunt is protected by the 5 diodes (D1..D5). I was a bit curious about the 12V test resistor, it must handle 1.5W, it is a larger resistor (R20: 100ohm), 9V load is next (R26: 910ohm) and then 1.5V (R25: 180ohm), they are all placed after the 0.6A fuse, but it will not protect them from overload. The voltage from these resistors goes to a voltage divider (R31 & R12: 1M & 10K), the output goes directly to the main chip.
The input configuration on the V etc. input is a bit special, it has the typical 10Mohm (R4 & R20: 2×5Mohm), a 1Mohm (R9: 1Mohm), a PTC protected (R10: PTC) and a 800kOhm (R32..R35: 4×100kOhm). Both the 10Mohm and 1Mohm is directly connected to the main chip in all position of the range switch, this is the explanation of the input impedance.
The PTC is used together with a transistor pair (Q1 & Q2) in capacitance, 600ohm, frequency, temperature and frequency out. This goes to the main chip through a resistor (R5: 1kOhm).
There is no microprocessor or diode collection in the meter, this means the main multimeter chip is dedicated/programmed for this meter and it must have electronic calibration build in. There is a voltage regulator (U2) and transistors for Buzzer, backlight and flashlight (Q3, Q4 and Q5).
At the top of the circuit board is the NCV antenna.
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Closeup of the top part.
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This side only has pads for the range switch, LCD and buttons. The indicator LED is mounted on the other sides and lights through a hole in the circuit board.
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Conclusion
This is a cheap meter and as usual with cheap meters they do not live up to their CAT rating, 250VAC fuses and maximum 500V in AUTO mode do not match with a 1000V CAT rating. A single 1Mohm resistor to handle the full input voltage is also wrong.
With that said the meter do have a lot of functions and do most of it fairly well, but there are some omissions. I do not see a big reason for a manual range meter, most auto ranging meters can easily be locked in a range when needed. The low input impedance is a huge disadvantage for electronic use, but it can be a advantage for other measurements.
Notes
How do I review a DMM
More DMM reviews

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Test/review of DMM Aneng V8

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DMM Aneng V8
DSC_8257
This is a cheap DMM with all common function.
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The box for the meter is designed for both the V7 and V8 meter.
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Inside the box is a pouch with everything in it, except the manual.
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The package included the DMM, a pair of standard probes, the universal probes, a thermocoupler and a manual in addition to the pouch.
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The probes are unbranded, has removable tip covers and is rated for CAT II 1000V, to CAT IV 600V
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The plug is shrouded.
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The thermocoupler is designed for insertion into stuff and is with a dual banana plug connector.
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The universal probes can be assembled to many different configuration, they are not high quality, but very useful.
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When using the tilting bale it is possible to turn the switch, but not use the buttons with one hand.
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Display
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All the segments on the display. There is both bargraph and secondary display
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Typical screen during usage with bargraph.
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In AC modes the secondary display is used for frequency.
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The NCV mode shows the usual EF (Electric field) on the display and change to bars when a actual field is detected. The led below the display will flash red and the buzzer will also sound.
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In temperature mode it shows both Celsius and Fahrenheit at the same time.
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Between the buttons is a led that will show red in continuity and NCV mode.
Secondary display functions, value after / is secondary value:
VAC: VAC/frequency, frequency/duty-cycle
Frequency: frequency/duty-cycle
Current: DCA, ACA/frequency, frequency/duty-cycle
Temperature: Celsius/Fahrenheit
Functions
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Buttons:


  • Range: Select and change manual range (Used in auto range position), hold down to return to auto range.
  • V.F.C.: Apply a high pass filter to AC voltage, it will also lock the range to 750VAC.
  • Select (Yellow): Select the ranges printed with yellow.
  • Rel: Shows values relative to current value, will also select manual range. Press again to disable. Hold down for flashlight.
  • Max/min: Starts recording maximum and minimum value, press to select between max/min, hold down to disable
  • Hold (Blue): Freezes the display reading.

Rotary switch:

  • Off: Meter is turned off
  • NCV: Non Contact voltage or electric field detection.
  • SquareOut: Frequency output from 50Hz to 5000Hz, use SELECT to step the frequency.
  • batt12V: 12V battery test
  • batt9V: 9V battery test
  • batt1.5V: 1.5V battery test.
  • 6 x ohm: Manual ohm ranges.
  • 3 x VAC: Manual VAC ranges
  • 4 x VDC: Manual VDC ranges.
  • °F °C: Temperature range.
  • uA: Micro ampere DC and AC with frequency and duty cycle for AC
  • mA: Milli ampere DC and AC with frequency and duty cycle for AC
  • A: Ampere DC and AC with frequency and duty cycle for AC
  • cont: Continuity
  • diode: Diode
  • C: Capacitance
  • ohm: Resistance
  • mVDC: Millivolt DC
  • mVAC: Millivolt AC with frequency and duty cycle.
  • VDC: Volt DC
  • VAC: Volt AC with frequency and duty cycle.

Input
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  • 20A: High current, it can only withstand 10+ ampere for a short time (Fuse is 10A).
  • mAuA: The lower current ranges, the selector switch will change between two different shunts (Fuse is 600mA).
  • COM: The common terminal for all ranges.
  • xxx: All other ranges.

The terminals fairly retracted into the meter.
Measurements

  • Volt and frequency

    • At 100mVrms input frequency input range is from 1.1Hz to 6MHz
    • At 1Vrms input frequency on VAC range is from 1Hz to 40kHz
    • Frequency input requires a zero crossing on both logic and VAC input
    • Duty cycle works from 2% to above 99% at 100kHz with 1Vpp, precision is within 0.2
    • 1 VAC is 5% down at 1.9kHz (RMS will not work at the frequency), AUTO and manual is similar.
    • 7 VAC is 5% down at 500Hz with VFC (RMS will not work at the frequency), AUTO and manual is similar.
    • When using VFC the range is locked to 750VAC, it cannot be select in manual voltage ranges.
    • Max/min needs less than 200ms to capture a voltage, but need many pulses for it.
    • Input impedance is between 10 and 11Mohm on DC and AC
    • Input impedance is high on mVDC (AC is limited to 10Mohm) and will drop to a few kOhm above 2V.

  • Current

    • 20A range will give audible alarm at 10A
    • Overload protection in uA and mA: 0.8A/250V 5×20mm ceramic fuse
    • Overload protection in A: 20A/250V 6×30mm ceramic fuse and 20A/250V fuse.

  • Ohm, Continuity, diode and capacitance

    • Ohm needs about 1.8s to measure 100ohm in auto range and 0.7s in manual range
    • Ohm is 1.0V open and 0.38mA shorted
    • Continuity is quick (Below 30ms).
    • Continuity beeps when resistance is below 50ohm.
    • Continuity is 1.0V open and 0.38mA shorted
    • Diode range uses 3.2V, max. display is 3.000V at 0.12mA, max. current is 1.6mA shorted
    • 10uF takes about 5 seconds to measure.
    • 11000uF takes about 10 seconds to measure.
    • No overload protection is rated.

  • Miscellaneous

    • 12V battery test uses a 1200ohm resistor
    • 9V battery test uses a 910ohm resistor
    • 1.5V battery test uses a 150ohm resistor
    • Frequency output has the following frequencies: 50, 100, 200, 300, 400, 500, 600, 700, 800, 900, 1000, 2000, 3000, 4000, 5000Hz
    • Current consumption of meter is 26mA (With backlight it is 29mA).
    • Meter works down to 2.4V where it turns off, battery symbol show at 2.9V.
    • Reading is stable within a few counts until it turns off.
    • Backlight fades slowly with falling voltage, display is nearly unreadable at 2.5V
    • The meter usual need a couple of display update to reach the final value.
    • Viewing angle is good, except from the top.
    • Display updates around 3 times/sec
    • Flashlight do not turn automatic off, but will turn off when the meter turns off.
    • Will automatic turn power off in about 15 minutes.
    • Standard probes can nearly be pushed fully down.
    • Weight is 416g without accessories, but with rubber sleeve and batteries.
    • Size is 176 × 91 × 47mm with rubber sleeve.

  • Probes

    • Standard probe resistance 40mOhm for one.
    • Standard probe wire is 79cm long.
    • Custom probe resistance is 56mOhm
    • Custom probe wire is 86cm long


1uF
A look at the capacitance measurement waveform.
freq50Hz
50Hz frequency output, it swings around zero.
freq5000Hz
5000Hz frequency output.
freq50Hz100kOhm
50Hz output loaded with 100kohm halved the output voltage
freq5000Hz100kOhm
5000Hz output with 100kOhm load.
DMMInputVoltageSweepHz
Frequency input resistance depends on input voltage.
DMMInputVoltageSweepmVDC
The mVDC range is high impedance, until the protection clamps, mVAC is limited to 10Mohm.
DMMschema
Tear down
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I had to remove four small screws to open the meter.
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And 6 more to remove the circuit board.
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The range switch has 7 connections.
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All the electronic is on this side. The uA shunt (R16: 99ohm) is in series with the mA shunt (R15: 1ohm), the five diodes (D1, D2, D3, D4, D6) is across the input voltage, but after the fuse. The voltage from the current shunts goes to a resistor (R9: 100kOhm) and the to the main chip. The voltage input has two resistors in series (R6 & R32: 2×5Mohm) going directly to the main chip.
The battery tester for 1.5V (R36: 150ohm), 9V (R40: 910ohm) and 12V (R41: 1200ohm) do not have any overload protection, except the fuse and that is not very safe because the V input is directly connected to the resistors (mA & V input is shorted together through the fuse in these 3 ranges).
This meter has the very common small SMD resistor (R8: 910kOhm) that must handle overload on a lot of ranges: mVDC, mVAC, frequency, resistance, capacitance, diode, continuity and temperature. For resistance, capacitance, diode, continuity the PTC and the transistor pair (Q1 & Q2) protection the current output, but it is also connected in mVDC, mVAC, frequency and temperature. Frequency output is through a resistor (R17: 100kOhm), this will give a fair amount of protection, but not against high voltage.
The main chip (U2: DTM0660L) and its EEPROM (U3: K24C08) is a well proven solution is cheap meters, this meter also adds a display driver (U1: unmarked) for the inverted display. There is transistors for backlight (Q3), flashlight (Q5) and buzzer (Q4), in addition to a voltage regulator (U4: 7130). There are a few diodes (D5, D8, D10), they may be used for rotary switch encoding to the chip.
The NCV antenna is at the top.
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A closeup of the top part.
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This side only has the pads for the rotary switch, the buttons and the LCD. The LCD layout is printed on the circuit board.
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Conclusion
This is a cheap meter and as usual with cheap meters they do not live up to their CAT rating, 250VAC fuses do not match with a 1000V CAT rating. A small SMD resistor that must withstand 1000’s of volt is not realistic either. Or the battery load resistors that is directly connected to the V terminal when battery test ranges is selected.
With that said the meter do have a lot of functions and do most of it fairly well. The manual range is a bit silly, it is easy enough to select a range manually when needed with the RANGE button.
Notes
How do I review a DMM
More DMM reviews

My website with reviews of many chargers and batteries (More than 1000): https://lygte-info.dk/

Test/review of DMM BSide ADMS7

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DMM BSide ADMS7
DSC_8665
This meter is a very simple meter with most functions automatic. It has a very large and easily readable display.
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I got it in a brown neutral cardboard box with some stickers on.
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It included the DMM and a instruction sheet.
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Probes are branded with BSide and has removable tip covers. There is a CATIII 1000V rating on the cover, but none on probe.
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Display
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The above picture shows all the segments on the display, not all are used.
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Display when idle, it will show AUTO and some bars.
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When measuring DC voltage or ohms it will show the value and the range.
The bargraph is scaled up to 6000, this is only valid in ohms, in volts it must be read as 600.0.
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In AC mode the lower display will show frequency.
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The V-Alert is the usual NCV and used the bargraph to show the electric field strength. There is only 3 steps with voltage, the above picture is the first step, it uses sound in addition to the display.
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The live function will detect mains voltage with on one connection and then show LIVE, including sound.
Functions
DSC_8674
Buttons:


  • on: A press on this button will turn the meter on or off. Both on and off only requires a short press.
  • V-Alert/Live: This button will select the two detection function, it has some sort of history function and may start with either V-Alert or LIVE
  • Hold: Freezes the display.
  • light: A short press will turn on the flashlight.

Input
DSC_8680
The probes are not replaceable.
Measurements

  • Volt and frequency

    • Frequency counter do not require a zero crossing.
    • At 1Vrms input frequency range is from 36Hz to 550Hz
    • At 7Vrms input frequency range is from 36Hz to 1kHz
    • 7 VAC is 5% down at 1.2kHz (RMS will not work at this frequency).
    • A combined AC+DC voltage is listed as AC with the a total value, but not the RMS value.
    • Input impedance is 1Mohm on DC and AC
    • Meter will measure DC voltage above 0.3 volt for positive and 0.7V for negative.
    • Meter will measure AC voltage above 0.9 volt and be very confused below.
    • Rated overload protection is 600V DC or AC

  • Current

    • The meter cannot measure current.

  • Ohm, continuity, diode and capacitance

    • Ohm needs about 0.7s to measure 100ohm
    • Ohm/Continuity is -0.8V open with -2V spikes) and -0.03mA shorted
    • Continuity is slow (About 300ms).
    • Continuity beeps when resistance is below 30ohm
    • Rated overload protection is 600V DC or AC

  • Miscellaneous

    • Current consumption of the meter is 2.3mA with backlight it is 32mA (14mA at 4V)
    • Current consumption when off is 0.026mA, this means the batteries will last about a year.
    • Meter works down to 2.4V where it shows random values, it turns off at about 1.8V, battery symbol show at 3.6V.
    • Meter readings are stable until 3.0V
    • Flashlight fades with voltage and is very dim at 2.5V
    • The meter may need one or two update to show the final value.
    • Viewing angle is good
    • Display updates around 2 times/sec
    • Flashlight turn off after about 30 seconds.
    • Will automatic turn power off in about 3 minutes.
    • Weight is 112g without accessories, but with batteries.
    • Size is 136.9 × 73 × 12.7mm.

  • Probes

    • Probe wire is 58cm long.


sense
The sense voltage when checking for resistance.
DMMInputVoltageSweepAutoLow
When supplying a external DC voltage it will turn the checking voltage off above 0.3V and show a DC voltage.
The input resistance is 1Mohm
DMMInputVoltageSweepAutoHigh
The 1Mohm is the same all the way to 100V.
DMMschema
Ohm has a 6-8ohm error.
It will mark a voltage as AC if it contains DC with some ripple, but it will not necessary show the RMS value.
The 1Mohm input impedance is close to being a Low-Z function.
Tear down
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To open the meter I had to remove four screws. The manual specify AAA batteries, but it is CR2032.
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The leads uses the typical rubber grommet to provide strain relief and protection from sharp bends.
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I had to remove 3 more screws to get the circuit board out.
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The input has two paths, one through a couple of resistors (R25, R26, R27, R8: 547kOhm, 352kohm, 90kOhm, 9kOhm -> 998kOhm) and another path through a PTC, diode (D1) and some transistors (Q6 & Q7), it looks like the transistors is used to enable and disable the ohm range. There is two types of IC’s to handle the automatic range switch, they are MUXes (U2, U4, U6: Probably SN74LVC1G3157) and OpAmps (U3 & U5: Probably LMV358).
There is a NCV antenna at the top of the board, next to the flashlight led (FL1), that is a square led with a control transistor (Q5) next to it. The power supply chip (U7: 8503-33: 3.3V) is between two decoupling capacitors (C11 & C12).
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The meter uses real switches and has a buzzer on this side.
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Conclusion
As usual the safety is on the low side
I like the large display on the meter, but that is about the only thing.
This is a very simple meter without ranges, it works and may be fine for for a rough and simple check, but it cannot do much more. Because it only has one range VDC, one VAC and one ohm range, it only has decent resolution in a fairly limited range of values. The true RMS is a bit doubtful, when it cannot show a combination of AC+DC correctly. The current consumption when off is way to high.
Notes
How do I review a DMM
More DMM reviews
About thermocouplers

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Test/review of USBEE AX PRO Logic Analyzer 8 channels 24MHz

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USBEE AX PRO Logic Analyzer 8 channels 24MHz
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Official specifications:


  • 24MHz 8 Digital Channels and 2 Analog Channels.
  • Digital Voltage Range: -1V ~ 6V
  • Low level below 1.4V
  • High level above 1.6V
  • Analog Voltage Range: -10V ~ 10V
  • Analog resolution 256 steps.

I got it from Ebay dealer: cybereveryday
This is a cheap logic analyzer with 8 digital channels and 2 analog. The dealer showed lots of screen shots from USBEE software, but there is a serious caveat!
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I got it in a cardboard box with the analyzer and a USB cable.
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There was no software or manual on the box, only the cables and the analyzer.
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The marking on the top specifies the connection in the connector below it.
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It uses a old style USB-B connector.
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The cables are marked with the signal name. Being female means they do not plug directly in a breadboard.
USBEE Software
2s
Looking a bit on the pictures on the dealers website and I saw this one and it looks very suspicious. Why is there a keygen, according to the instruction I must send the code to USBEE and get a key return! This, of course, means it is a copy and if you do this you will be using pirated software.
I did not even get a possibility to try it because I need:

  • USBEE software
  • USBEE driver
  • Keygen

From the USBEE website I could download the software, but not the driver and neither USBEE or the dealer had the keygen on their website (I could maybe have found the keygen, but it is pointless without the driver).
0s
I could look at the software in demo mode.
USBEE have discovered the clones and are selling a version of their software for them.
USBEE Paid software
When paying for the software you get a PDF document with download links and instructions on how to install the software. This is considerable more complicated than just clicking on the software and answering yes a couple of times. Multiple software packages must be installed, other software must be unpacked and files copied to system directories.
8s
The first software package do not look very nice and it do not work either. It includes a lot of modules and at least one of them triggered a blue screen on my PC. This is rather bad for paid software.
1s
It also includes the nicer looking software.
2s
And it partially works, it can read the digital channels and one analog channel.
3s
A nice detail is that timing is shown when the cursor is moved to a track. The arrows on “Digital 1” shows what the measurements below is for.
4s
A channel can be configured to show different values, here I have selected Async (Serial data).
5s
And the first first channel is converter to show the actual data.
6s
It is also possible to use the small + to add another channel and then configure the second channel to show the data. This leaves the first channel free to show the curve.
7s
The Analog input will only work for one channel and it is not very good at showing small signals. Here I uses a 0.1V sinus signal.
Sigrok PulseView Software
There is another possibility for software, this is the public domain Sigrok PulseView software, it supports many different brands of logic analyzers.
Here I uses the nightly build version, this probably has some bugs, but it also has some improvements from the standard version (See link at bottom).
0s
First I connected two PWM signals to the USBEE, one of them to both analog and digital channel. The highest speed I could use without lockups was 12MHz sample rate.
1s
The digital channels looks fine, but I am not very impressed with the analog channel.
2s
I control the visible channels here and there is one serious problem: Only one analog channel, the hardware has two.
7s
Using the other analog channel worked much better, here I can see the signal is 3.3V logic.
8s
Increasing the analog frequency, here it is 500kHz, but I did not find a decoder to measure it. The input bandwidth is limited, I uses +/-7.5V for input, but I the waveform is more like +/-5V.
9s
At lower frequency it is better.
10s
Another problem I have is the ranging on the analog input, it do not change the analog frontend, only the digital multiplication (I have a +/-0.1V sinus signal).
3s
The standard view is fairly dumb, but adding some decoders fixes it. There is a huge selection of decoders and they can do more than decoding protocols. Here I have used a timing and a PWM decoder, but on D0. If I was using more I could change the name of them, i.e. instead of being called “Timing” I could easily change it to “D0” or “PWM on D6”.
4s
I want to check some serial communication, there a trigger is very useful to start the capture.
5s
And also a bit of pre-trigger capture, this gives the decoder a level to start on.
6s
D0 is the captured data, I used to decoders on the same data, one to show Ascii and one to show hex.
Tear-down
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I had to remove one screw to open the box.
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On this side the the ADC (TLC5510: 8bit 20MSPS), a voltage regulator (AMS1117-3.3), some OpAmp (MV358: probably LMV358), two unknown IC’s and 4 leds. The two trimpots may be for adjustment of the analog inputs and the relay may be for selecting analog range.
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On this side is the main controller (CY7C68013A) connected to the inputs through 390ohm resistors, the two 6 pin chips may be some sort of transient diodes. There is also a voltage regulator (AMS1117 2.85).
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Conclusion
A logic analyzer is a nice supplement to a oscilloscopes, but this analyzer is way to expensive (See other model linked at bottom) for its functions and lack of software. The USBEE software has a lot of modules and functions, I did not try them after I got a blue screen. If they work they may be worth the money, but the suite I tested above is not better than PulseView.
With the lack of fully supporting software I do not see this as a good buy, the cheap one I have linked below can do nearly the same for much less money.
Notes
Sigrok: PulseViewManual
USBEE: USBee AX
Both pieces of software can be downloaded and tested, they will generate some simulation data.
The USBEE and PulseView uses different drivers and they are not compatible, i.e. it requires some install/uninstall to switch between the two softwares.
A cheaper logical analyzer without analog, I also use PulseView here

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[Review] PerfectPrime IR0280 Thermal Imaging Camera

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Hello everyone,

 

Andy Ho, digital marketing manager of PerfectPrime, has given me the opportunity to testing one of their latest products, the IR0280 thermal imaging camera. As flashlights have not known to be THE typical scenario for using thermal imaging cameras yet, I want to bring this a bit closer to you. As usual in all of my reviews, I will be unbiased and honest with my observations and try to give you a differentiated assessment of what is good and what is worth to be improved. I did not receive any kind of compensation except for the IR0280 camera by providing this review.

 

About PerfectPrime

PerfectPrime is a rather young retailer of consumer electronics and was at least to me a rather unknown distributor of thermal imaging cameras. Most of the popular brands are FLIR, Fluke or Bosch with premium prices that can go way beyond $ 8.000,00. Since demands for affordable thermal imaging cameras have increased significantly over the past years, PerfectPrime has developed and introduced some interesting devices and has successfully become one of the leading players.

https://perfectprime.com/

 

What are thermal imaging cameras?

Thermal imaging cameras, also known as thermographic or infrared cameras, are devices that form a heat zone image by using infrared radiation, very similar to usual cameras that use visible light. While visible light is within a range of 400 – 700 nanometers, infrared cameras operate in wavelenghts of up to 14.000 nanometers.

 

Typical applications of thermal imaging cameras

  • Home use (find heat spikes behind a wall due to overloaded electricity)
  • Checking electrical elements for ceiling temperatures (e.g. on IT server banks) or faulty circuits
  • Checking water leaks, missing insulation
  • Checking window seals / thermal bridges and outlets
  • Checking HVAC (heating, ventilation, air condition) leaks
  • Industrial applications such as fire service, electrical maintenance
  • Military and scientific areas

 

What good is a thermal imaging camera for flashlights?

Ever since I was interested into lighting technology in general and flashlights in particular, I always came across the challenges to manage and measure heat as a byproduct of high performance LEDs. Everyone who ever tried out an Emisar D4 knows very well how much heat can be generated within a blink of an eye. Being confronted with so much heat generated in a flashlight following crucial aspects need to be taken into consideration:

 

Thermal conductivity

With different materials you get different thermal conductivities. Copper has a great thermal conductivity but is known to be heavy and less sturdy while titanium has a poor thermal conductivity but is great in terms of weight and stability. That’s why it’s reasonable to use copper for the head section of flashlights (driver and LED MCPCB) whereas titanium and aluminum are a good choice for hosting the bezel, battery tube and tailcap as these are not subject to heat up this much.

 

Thermal dissipation

Once heat is generated it needs to be taken away as quickly as possible from its source. Aluminum is known to be a good trade off in terms of conductivity and weight. A good flashlight host will transfer the heat onto its entire host respectively its entire surface to achieve the best dissipation.

 

Monitor and control excess heat

With more and more high performance flashlights coming onto the market requirements for effective and efficient stepdown procedures become relevant. FET driven pocket rockets like Lumintop’s FW3A or Emisar’s D4 can heat up to way beyond 70°C within a few seconds making it necessary to trigger countermeasures within even less time. A good temperature regulation will ensure that both the driver and the flashlight host structure cannot heat up beyond its given threshold value, typically around 50° - 65°C.

 

So, with a thermal imaging camera in place I expect to visualize und understand:

- Effective thermal conductivity between the flashlight’s component.

- Heat being transferred and dissipated from the source

- Monitor and evaluate the actual surface temperature while operating the flashlight

 

Price/Performance classification of the IR280

The IR0280 is one of PerfectPrime’s latest cameras. However, it is not the top of their line as you can see on the spreadsheet above. While other camera’s like IR0018 or IR0019 offer a much higher resolution this one here features video recording, a wider temperature range and – most important – a very budget-friendly price for less than $ 200,00. Eventually, when buying a thermal imaging camera you always need to ask yourself three questions:

  1. What is my budget?
  2. What scenarios/applications am I going to use my camera for?
  3. How often will I be using my camera?

My conclusion until here is:

As long as you don’t need thermal imaging cameras for your everyday profession where all your monthly income or even people’s lives may depend on you don’t need to invest into a $ 8.000 camera. Many home use tasks or semiprofessional tasks can be encountered with more budget-friendly devices The remaining question will be: Is the IR0280 good enough to fulfill personal requirements such as measuring and analyzing heat on flashlights? We will get to the answer later on.

 

Key specifications of the IR0280's hardware and software

 

Where to buy the IR0280?

 

The IR0280 camera can be ordered through different sales channels.

 

PerfectPrime:

https://perfectprime.com/collections/thermal-imaging-camera/products/ir0280

Amazon US:

https://www.amazon.com/PerfectPrime-Infrared-Thermal-Temperature-22-1832%C2%B0F/dp/B07RFS28ZH

Amazon DE:

https://www.amazon.de/PerfectPrime-Infrared-Thermal-Visible-Temperature/dp/B07RFS28ZH

 

Content of package and first impressions

The camera arrived in a black plastic bag without much of a protection except for some bubble wrap. Fortunately, it did not take any damages during transportation.

Inside the plastic envelope I found the IR0280 camera, a miniUSB cable, the (English only) manual and a card with some instructions how to register and download the manual.

The camera itself feels very light-weighted and handy. On the read side you see both the visual camera as well as the infrared camera. The surface of the housing is slightly roughened in some places and conveys a tactile feeling.

The left side shows a rubber boot and underneath the microSDHC slot with the inserted 16GB card as well as the miniUSB port to recharge the camera or connect it to a computer. On the bottom side you find a thread to mount the IR0280 onto a tripod.

 

Charging the IR0280

While charging the indicator is red. Once finished it turns green.

 

Functionalities and User Interface

 

 

 

Starting the device requires to press the power button for 2 seconds. After some seconds to boot up the OS you can start to measure. Rest assured, the device can be put into standby for immediate use if you want to avoid waiting for booting up once again.

 

The IR0280’s operating system is based upon Android. This key feature makes it more flexible in terms of future updates, easier in handling software maintenance and more advanced in coding a state of the art yet simple user interface. The menu screen uses symbols that are easy to understand without looking up their meaning in the manual. All menu items can be selected by using the four-direction buttons below the screen. Pulling the trigger (measure button) accesses the selected menu item and is also used to save changes made by the user.

 

Once everything is set up to your liking you can start to measure…

For demonstration purposes, we here have a typical IR image of a human hand, indicating the temperature of the marked spot. By touching the screen you can easily select and measure any spot you see on the screen. Apart from that information you will get the minimum and maximum temperature and the color palette indicated on the bottom. The top area indicates the current time as well as the set emissivity value.

Any click on the trigger / measure button will save an image to the SDHC card. Press & hold will record a video (MP4-format) as long as you keeping holding the button. You can select of three different views

 

 

The overlay function is quite interesting as it compensates the low resolution a bit and enriches the image with visual details for better orientation.

Moreover, you have a choice of two filters.

 

 

 

During my testing I found the Wide Gaussian filter most convenient as it reduces disturbing artifacts and smoothes out the low IR resolution. All my pictures and video footage were made with the Wide Gaussian filter.

There is also a zoom function available which I did not find necessary as details are not improving due to a lack of higher resolution.

 

 

If you always want to indicate the lowest and highest temperature spot you can activate the „Min/Max Crosshairs“.

 

For individual needs the IR0280 offers 8 different color palettes. For reference, I have taken 8 pictures of a well-heated Sofirn SD05:

 

Radiometric data

This feature is a big advantage to those who want to run deeper analyses of their recorded images/videos. Along with each recording the IR0280 saves meta data, e.g. the actual temperature of each pixel. These data can be processed by thermoanalytical software suites like COMSOL Multiphysics® or The Mathworks® MATLAB.

 

Testing the IR0280

 

Zotac ZBOX CI520 Silent PC

A silent PC is a very interesting item to use a thermal imaging camera with. As there are no active cooling components the PC needs to be cooled by passive means in terms of heat convection. As you can see on the picture above, the computer shows significantly more heat than its surrounding area. Details from about a foot / 30cm distance are sufficient enough to see hot spot areas in the center part as well as dissipated heat on the ac adaptor and the power cord behind the computer.

 

Miscellaneous

Taking pictures of farther heat sources reveals the camera's limitations. The resolution of 32x32 pixels is by far too low to indicate fine details or accurate readings. However, I am still impressed by the ability to safely locate heat sources from distances of up to 4-5m. With the overlay function in place missing details of the heat signature can be compensated by the visual image.

 

Sofirn SD05 diving flashlight (XHP50.2, 2.550lm)

Sofirn's brand new SD05 diving flashlight is advertised with a 3min timer-triggered stepdown and a thermal regulation that also reduces power/brightness when the driver's temperature reaches 55°C. I wanted to find out how hot the light will get with repetitive activation of the highest output mode and how the heat will distribute along the flashlight's host structure.

 

 

Conclusion:

The first video illustrates the heat generation via infrared spectrum. The second video uses the overlay function to show both visual and thermal images. The IR0280 is capable to visualize the heat generation starting in the flashlight's head and distributing all over the entire host structure. Details at close range are sufficient. I was not able to drive the heat beyond 53°C which is a good indicator that Sofirn's ATR technology works effectively.

 

Sofirn SP36S Flashlight (LH351D, 5.200lm)

Sofirn's SP36S is quite a powerhouse with its four LH351D 5.000K 90CRI LEDs and up to 5.200lm of luminus flux in total. Unlike the original SP36 there's no Andúril or NarsilM in place but a proprietary UI with Sofirn's ATR technology, triggered after 3min and/or 55°C temperature.

 

Conclusion:

The first video demonstrates how quickly the flashlight can get hot. You can see very clearly where the heat source is and how it distributes to the business end and later on back to the battery tube and the tailcap. The second video was shot in IR spectrum when I relaunched the turbo mode once again. It drove the SP36S up to about 57°C. At the end of the video you see that all the heat is evenly distributed along the entire host for optimal heat dissipation. The temperature decreases immediately as the flashlight is being shut down.

 

Sofirn SP70 flashlight (XHP70.2, 5.500lm)

Last but not least, Sofirn's SP70 is a big light with a long aluminum host structure. This example should visualize the heat transfer from its source even better. Sofirn's ATR is configured to 3min and/or 60°C stepdown.

Conclusion:

The SD05 and SP36S transfer their heat quickly onto the entire aluminum structure. The SP70 instead takes quite some time before heat gets down to the tail end of the host. This is of course due to the fact that heat rises upwards and that the major surface area for heat convection is located around the head structure with deep cooling fins and a wide bezel. The hottest area is around the side switch which is closest to the driver. To my surprise I was unable to trigger ATR since my SP70 did not heat up to 60°C, probably due to too much internal resistance or too weak batteries. Again, the IR0280 was able to visualize heat generation and indicate accurate readings of the surface temperature. However, the larger the object gets the more interested I am into a more detailed image with a higher resolution.

 

Bottom line and final verdict

Is the IR0280 good enough to fulfill personal requirements such as measuring and analyzing heat on flashlights?

Yes, in my humble opinion you get a good bang for the buck. At close ranges the camera is capable to effectively indicate issues in thermal conductivity, heat transfer and dissipation or issues with thermal thresholds of electrical components. Of course, higher resolution is very desirable and better looking on images or video footage. But as stated before this comes with a different price level and is necessary only if you really need more details or if you want to analyze remote objects.

 

WhatI like about the IR0280:

  • Reasonable price/performance ratio with regard to competitive devices
  • Cutting-edge user interface and firmware by using Android OS with the ability for software updates
  • With Android in place and a touchscreen to use the camera’s UI is very easy to operate
  • Wide options to customize image/video recording (color ranges, visual overlay function)
  • A non-proprietary power source (18650 lithium-ion battery) is more environment-friendly for it effectively avoids planned obsolescence and is easier to replace if the battery becomes worn out.
  • While some of the lower priced cameras use AAA or AA batteries, this one uses a powerful 18650 battery, providing longer runtimes and easier recharging.
  • Capability to record video footage to visualize heat transfer and dissipation
  • Capability to use both visual and IR spectrum (separate or overlay) for more detailed analyses, usually available on higher-end cameras (see FLIR’s MSX technology)
  • Capability to adjust the emissivity coefficient for different types of surfaces to gain higher accuracy
  • Wide measuring range (-30°C – 1.000°C / -22°F – 1832°F)
  • Good tactile, light-weighted handling with grippy surface and tailstand capability incl. the option to mount the camera onto a tripod
  • Capability to record and export radiometric raw data, normally to be found in high price cameras from Fluke or FLIR. These data can later be processed with professional thermoanalytic software suites.
  • It comes with a replaceable 16GB microSD card.
  • The manual is very easy to follow and understand.

What I would like to see improved:

(Actually, there is only little to gripe about this camera but I will list it anyway...)

  • Press & Hold to take videos can be difficult for taking long-term videos as footage can become blurred when moving the camera. It would be a nice feature to have the option between “press & hold” and “hold 2s to start recording and click to stop recording”.
  • The trigger switch is sometimes a bit less responsive, especially while recording you need to keep the trigger pulled with some force to avoid any recording interruptions
  • Shipping envelopes could be padded or designed more sturdy in order to protect the device from damages during transportation
  • miniUSB is fine but subject to wear with heavy usage – USB-C would be a nice improvement even though it may increase the total costs by $ 2-4 per device.
  • A protective sleeve would suit nicely to cover the sensitive parts of the device.
  • The camera’s thermal resolution is the only real weak point. 32x32 pixels will limit its applications to near-field scenarios (< 2m) as you may not see enough details in the distance. Furthermore, a higher resolution will also indicate more details on close-up pictures or video footages, e.g. heat spreading around a cold spot on an aluminum tube. However, the support of a second camera in the visible spectrum is a great add on and compensates the lack of a higher resolution a bit. Taking the IR0280’s price into consideration and comparing it with competitors in the same pricing range you get a lot.
  • The manual does not feature the CSV export nor does it explain anything about radiometric data the camera is capable to record. Some supplemental information would be helpful.

 

I like to wind up my review by saying many thanks to Andy Ho for providing the IR0280 and to the entire BLF community for giving me the opportunity to present my impressions. Thank you for reading my review and sharing your thoughts.

 

Cheers,

Thomas

 

P.S.

If you are interested in buying thermal imaging cameras from PerfectPrime, please have a look onto Andy's thread and receive a 10% discount: http://budgetlightforum.com/node/67755


[Review] Roaring Fire Shoulder Bag

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Roaring Fire Shoulder Bag

MSRP: $19

Manufacturer page: N/A

Store link: https://www.amazon.com/Roaring-Fire-Tactical-Shoulder-Crossbody/dp/B07SN...

I was sent this light to review free of charge but, as always, I've tried to be as unbiased as possible.



TL;DR

Laura, one of my old Olight contacts, sent me an email a while ago saying that she'd left her position at Olight to start her own outdoor company, Roaring Fire. This is obviously super cool, so I jumped at the opportunity to review one of their bags. I've never reviewed a backpack before, so bear with me. I know flashlight terminology, but I don't know the words for all things backpacks, so you'll see few mentions of "stuff" and "thingies".



Album link

Packaging

It just came in a plastic bag in a bubble envelope.

Build

First off, this is a $20 Chinese made backpack, not a Goruck or an Osprey or anything. You can't expect super high quality. There is some sloppy sewing, some so-so elastic, some non-YKK zippers, and lots of that one smell that Chinese made synthetic fabric based products always seem to have.


This shoulder bag is just that, a shoulder bag. It's small. Here it is compared to a 21L Goruck GR1.

According to the description, the bag is constructed out of 900D Oxford fabric (woven polyester), with a waterproof coating on the inside of it. This coating isn't flexible, and it shows signs of fatigue if you crumple it.

Here's a fabric comparison with my Goruck. I assume the webbing is nylon, but it's not specified.


Starting at the outer-most section of the bag, there are two rows of MOLLE webbing and a zipper pocket with a grommet at the bottom. I assume that's to allow water to drain, but I'm unsure.

After that, there's another zipper pocket, and inside that there's an elastic band with two sections, and a smaller interior pocket. Above this second zipper there's a velcro section (fuzzy) and a little bit of cord secured through four loops. What this cord is for, I also do not know.

Then comes the main pocket. Inside this are two sub-pockets. The sides of the bag are also covered in MOLLE. This is a great spot to add a water bottle holder. 


The top of the bag has a carry handle and a large flap with a very large plastic clip on it that attaches to the shoulder strap.

The back has breatheable netting/padding stuff that forms another pocket, which can be used to store the flap if you'd rather not use the strap. There are plastic D rings on the four corners of the back side of the bag.

Strap

The strap is made of two inch wide webbing with one of those sliding length adjustor things in the middle. One end has a large plastic clip (male), and the other end has a plastic lobster claw style clip. This can clip into any of the four D rings on the corners of the bag, though the bag is a lot easier to carry when it's clipped to one of the ones on the bottom.
It's a good strap, and I have no complaints about it. There isn't a padded section, but the strap is so wide that it doesn't need one.

Use

I got this bag right before a road trip, so I had plenty of opportunity to put it through its paces. Right after I got it, I loaded it with a 32 ounce water bottle and some other stuff and went on a long bike ride. The bag wasn't designed for this. Very often along the ride, the bag rotated from my back to hanging in front of me. This wasn't any fault of the bag, just that it only has one strap, and riding a bike means your torso is bent over.
Just for walking around though, it's great. It's light, it's small, and it has lots of pockets. I used it for carrying my portable charger, extra 18650s, cables, phone, seashells, a particularly interesting rock, park maps, and a water bottle. It fared well, without breaking in any way.
Here's what the bag looks like on my friend Nick.



Bottom line:
Pros

  • Cheap
  • Lots of pockets
  • Versatile

Cons

  • Construction isn't amazing
  • Waterproofing seems fragile

Thanks for reading my review! If you have any questions about this bag, I'd be more than happy to answer them.

https://virisenox.wordpress.com/

More active on Reddit: /u/Virisenox_


"I go hard."

- Zeroair

"Don't quote me on that."

- Zeroair

Look i also have a review of the Wurkkos WK30 - Semi Picture Heavy - Now has beam shots

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First Impressions:
First expressions are good, a 5000k LHD351D with 90 CRI nice flood and good color, a 620nm red, and in my opinion the best part a LG 395nm led, I know 365 is considered better but for my application (Rock hunting) they’re pretty much equal. It runs off of a 26650 battery which comes included, the one included is 5000mah, 18650 or 21700. Micro usb rechargeable on the flashlight. It has an illuminated button which shows battery life green is good red is low blinking red is very low, and on the UV mode it turns blue. The beams definitely are more floody from the shallow reflector. You can also use it without a battery plugged in.

Build:
It feels nice in the hand there is no knurling, but there are things to hold on to. It is shorter than my other lights but still feels good. It has a lanyard hole and come with one which can even fit my large hands nicely.

UI:
The UI for what it has to to is pretty good. 1 click for white click to change modes, Eco, Low, Mid, High/Turbo, it has memory. 1 click and hold brings it to white on Eco then you can go through normally. 2 click for red, click to change modes Low, Mid, High. You can also double click in red and white for strobe modes, white has strobe, SOS, and beacon. Red has strobe and police, alternates red and white. 3 click for UV click to change modes, Low, and Mid. In UV you can double click to enter white memory. 4 clicks for lock out, will blink twice when you try to turn it on, 4 click again to get out. Long press off.

Spec:
I sadly do not have any method of testing lumen output but here are manufactures specs
White: 5lm, 120lm, 400lm 1200lm 5 min + 600lm
Red: 5lm, 60lm, 200lm
UV: 100mw, 2000mw

*Pictures: *
Yay now its picture time

Box it comes in


18650 tube, O-rings, Charging cable


26650 5000mah included battery


Sofirn C8t, Wowtac a1s bss, Wurkos WK30


Here’s the front end


Side View


Green light under switch indicating good battery


Blue led for UV

Beam Shots:
I have some others for reference. All of these taken in daytime mode at max setting.


Wurkkos WK30


Wowtac A1S BSS


Sofirn C8T


Wurkkos WK30 Red


Found these rocks with a fluorescent moss/lichen on them

Anything I forgot or you want done to this post, ask in the comments.

Wowtac A1S BSS, Sofirn C8T, Wurkkos WK30, D4s, BLF LT1, Wowtac W1, Some other no names
"You can't be scared of the dark, if there's no dark to be scared of"
-Me (Probably)

Test/review of DMM Keysight U1282A

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DMM Keysight U1282A
DSC_7583
Keysight is on of the very large test and measure manufacturers, with anything from simple DMM to highly advanced and expensive measure equipment. This meter is one of their most advanced DMM’s. This series has two meters: U1281A & U1282A, the 81 has less bandwidth and are missing some functions.
Contents
    Display
    Functions
    Input
    Measurements
    Configuration
    Software on PC (Handheld Meter Logger Software)
    Software on Android (Mobile Meter)
    Software on Android (Meter Logger)
    Tear down
    Conclusion
    Notes


This is one of my own meters, i.e. I bought it a couple of years ago to use it, not review it. This means I have no photos of box or accessories.
Before the review I updated the firmware to the latest version.
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The meter is heavy and the tilting bale can hold it while the range switch is used or the buttons is pressed.
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The PC connection is here with an optical link. The cable was included with the meter.
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DSC_7587
DSC_7618
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The two fuses.
DSC_7627DSC_7628
The rubber seal must be pulled up to replace the batteries.
Display
DSC_7606
The above picture shows all the segments on the display. There is two 5 digit displays and a bargraph. The number at the end of the bargraph shows the range.
DSC_7608
Standard turnon display shows the meters model number and the firmware version.
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Normal display with the measurement, unit, bargraph and temperature (The secondary display will show meter temperature when nothing else is selected).
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A secondary measurement is selected.
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NCV (Non contact voltage) or Vsense in Keysight terminology, the range button will select between “Hi” or “Lo”.
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Square wave out, both frequency and duty cycle can be adjusted.
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One item in configuration menu, all items is identified with a name written in the display.
Dual and single display functions (After / is small display):
mV+VAC: VAC/temp, VAC/Hz, dBm/VAC, dBV/VAC,
mV+VDC: VDC/temp, VDC/Hz, dBm/VDC, dBV/VDC
mV+VDC-AC mode: VAC/temp, VAC/freq, dBm/VAC, dBV/VAC, VAC/VDC
mV+VDC-AC+DC mode: VAC+VDC/temp, VAC+VDC/freq, dBm/VAC+VDC, dBV/VAC+VDC, VAC+VDC/VAC, VAC+VDC/VDC
uAmA DC: A/temp, A/freq, %4-20/A, %0-20/A
uAmA AC: A/temp, A/freq, A/ADC
uAmA AC+DC: A/temp, A/freq, A/AAC, A/ADC
A: A/temp, A/freq
A AC: A/temp, A/freq, A/ADC
A AC+DC: A/temp, A/freq, A/AAC, A/ADC
Frequency: freq/main, pulse-time/main, duty-cycle/main (Main will be V/A AC/DC/AC+DC depending on rotary switch and selection)
Freq out: duty-cycle/freq
Functions
DSC_7600
Buttons:


  • MaxMin: Select max/min function, pressing again will select between max/min/avg/actual, hold down to exit. If held down initially peak is selected, press to select between max/min.
  • Null: Store current value and show new values relative to this, pressing NULL while active will show the saved reference. Double press to cancel, hold down to activate NCV (Range switch is ignored).
  • Range:

    • Select manual range, hold down to exit
    • In ohm this will also select conductivity (nS) mode.
    • In continuity it is possible to change range and thereby threshold
    • In MHz frequency counter mode it will enable MHz mode that has higher upper frequency.
    • In temperature mode it will switch actual temperature compensation on/off.

  • Hz: Show frequency, duty-cycle or pulse-time on the large digit, the old value will often move to secondary display
  • light: Turn backlight on, hold down to change dual display mode. When showing duty-cycle or pulse time it will change polarity.
  • Shift (Orange): Select the ranges marked with orange on the rotary switch. Hold down to review saved values. In frequency output it will change between duty-cycle and time mode.
  • Hold: Hold and save the value, press again to start auto-hold for next stable value. Hold down to save a value or start logging (This depends on configuration).

Buttons in configuration:

  • Null: Digit increase
  • Dual: Digit decrease
  • Hz: Save change
  • ESC: Abandon change or exit configuration.
  • Hold: Next/previous menu item or digit left/right.

Rotary switch:

  • Off: Meter is turned off.
  • VAC: Measure VAC, use SHIFT to enable low pass filter and DUAL to show dB
  • mVAC: Measure mVAC, use SHIFT to enable low pass filter and DUAL to show dB
  • VDC: Measure VDC, VAC voltage and VAC+VDC voltage, use SHIFT to select.
  • mVDC: Measure mVDC, mVAC voltage and mVAC+mVDC voltage, use SHIFT to select.
  • ohm: Resistance and continuity, use RANGE to select nS
  • diode: Diode and frequency, use RANGE to enable high frequencies.
  • c: Capacitance and temperature.
  • uA mA: Low current, this meter will automatic switch from uA to mA, use SHIFT to select AC/AC+DC
  • A: High current, use SHIFT to select AC/AC+DC
  • out: Frequency out mode.

dB reference impedance can be adjusted from 1ohm to 9999ohm
Frequencies: 0.5, 1, 2, 5, 6, 10, 15, 20, 25, 30, 40, 50, 60, 75, 80, 100, 120, 150, 200, 240, 300, 400480, 600, 800, 1200, 1600, 2400, 4800
Duty cycle is changed with less than 1% steps, but not in round values.
Input
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  • A: High current, maximum current is 10A.
  • mAuA: The lower current ranges and frequency output
  • Rmt: Remove control with special probe, can be used to trigger HOLD and save or any other of the 7 buttons.
  • COM: The common terminal for all ranges.
  • xxx: All other ranges.

Measurements

  • Volt and frequency

    • Frequency input will trigger from -1.1V to 2.4V offset with 0.1Vrms input.
    • At 0.1Vrms frequency input range is from 0.4Hz to 800kHz
    • At 1Vrms frequency input range is from 0.4Hz to 1.8MHz
    • At 1Vrms frequency input range with MHz setting can reach 36MHz but shows to high above that.
    • According to the manual the frequency input is for signals below 1.8Vp, use voltage input for larger signals.
    • VDC input has a trigger point around 0.2V for frequency input.
    • VAC input ignores any DC offset for frequency input.
    • At 1Vrms input on VAC range, frequency range is from 0.4Hz to 650kHz
    • Duty cycle works from 10% to 90% at 10kHz with 1Vpp, precision is within 3.0 (Higher voltage do not help)
    • 1 VAC is 5% up at 70kHz (RMS will not work at the frequency).
    • 1 VAC with LPF (VFD) is 5% down at 500Hz.
    • Auto range works when doing min/max, but makes it very slow.
    • Auto range works in relative mode.
    • Max/min needs about 1900ms to capture a voltage and 400ms if manual range is selected.
    • Peak needs about 0.25ms to capture a voltage, it uses manual range.
    • Input impedance is 10Mohm on DC
    • Both AC inputs has a capacitor
    • Auto ranging is rather slow on this meter.
    • mV DC has 10Mohm or high input impedance depending on configuration to about 2V, then it drops to a few kOhm.
    • Rated overload protection is 1000Vrms, on mV it must be limited to 0.3A

  • Current

    • Overload protection in uA and mA: 0.44A/1000V 10×38mm fuse
    • The meter will auto range between uA and mA
    • Overload protection in A: 11A/1000V 10×38mm fuse
    • DCuA & mA can show percent of 0-20mA or 4-20mA range.
    • There is an audible warning and display shows “Lead” when using non current ranges without a probe (This warning is time limited).
    • There is an audible warning and display shows “uAErr” when using non current ranges with a probe in mAuA input (Buzzer is time limited).
    • There is an audible warning and display shows “A-Err” when using non current ranges with a probe in mAuA input (Buzzer is time limited).

  • Ohm, continuity, diode and capacitance

    • Ohm needs about 3.2s to measure 100ohm
    • Ohm is 1.1V open and 0.99mA shorted
    • Conductivity (nS) is 1.1V open and 0.2uA shorted
    • In conductivity it is best to keep some distance to the meter, especially when measuring Gigaohm.
    • Continuity is very fast (Below 10ms).
    • Continuity beeps when resistance is below 16ohm (3ohm in 60ohm range and 80ohm in 6kohm range).
    • Continuity is 2.2V open and 0.99mA shorted
    • Continuity allows range shift, this will change the threshold between 5ohm and 100kOhm.
    • Diode range uses 3.3V, max. display is 3.1V at 0.1mA, max. current is 1.5mA shorted
    • 10uF takes about 6.5 seconds to measure.
    • 11000uF takes about 50 seconds to measure.
    • Rated overload protection is 1000Vrms limited to 0.3A

  • Miscellaneous

    • Current consumption of meter is 2.5mA in DC, 5.3mA in AC and 11.3mA when high frequency counter is activated (42mA with backlight in AC)
    • Meter works down to 3.9V where it turns off, battery symbol starts flashing at 4.3V.
    • The meter reading is stable until it turns off.
    • Backlight fades with voltage, but is still usable when meter turns off
    • The meter usual need a couple of updates before the reading is fully correct.
    • The meter is very slow (Up to a few seconds) to change range.
    • Viewing angle is good
    • Display updates around 5 times/sec.
    • In high speed mode the display will update around 50 times/sec and the resolution is reduced to 6000 count.
    • Bargraph updates 40 times/sec
    • Backlight and automatic power can be configured.
    • Standard probes fits perfectly into sockets on meter.
    • To update software in the meter you must download and install a software updater program for this meter.
    • Weight is 703g without accessories, but with batteries.
    • Size is 220 × 101 × 58mm.

  • Probes



Freq600Hz50pct
Default frequency output of 600Hz at 50% duty cycle. The signal level is fine for 3.3V logic, but too low for 5V logic, especially CMOS.
Freq4800Hz039pct
Fastest output at 4800Hz and 0.39% duty cycle.
Freq4800Hz039pct1
A closer look at the pulse.
Freq05Hz50pct
Lowest frequency is 0.5Hz.
Freq600Hz50pct460ohm
Output loaded with 460ohm, this about halves the output level, i.e. output impedance is around 460ohm.
1uF
A look at the capacitance measurement waveform.
DMMInputVoltageSweepmVDCHighZ
DC input impedance in high-Z mode, the 10Mohm mode is similar, except maximum impedance is 10Mohm.
DMMInputVoltageSweepHz
Frequency input resistance, this is designed for fairly low signal level and is not the usual logic level input.
uAmAAutoRangeSpeed
How fast is auto ranging between uA and mA, here I start with zero current and turned 100mA on from a 1V supply.
It takes 3 seconds to auto range, this means that a micro processor that has a pulsed current consumption most likely would reset, i.e. manual ranging must be used.
uAmAAutoRangeSpeed2
Next I start with zero current and turned 400mA on from a 9V supply.
With higher voltage the protection kicks in and limits the voltage and current in the sense resistor, the auto ranging is also slightly faster.
DMMschema
Runtime is based on AC range, i.e. 5.3mA power consumption, Keysight uses DC in their specifications.
Configuration
There is many configuration options on this meter:

  • AutoHold: Number of counts the reading must go outside to rearm autohold and restart smooth.
  • Time: Enable/disable smooth mode and smooth mode time.
  • Auto power off time: How many minutes before meter powers off, auto power off can also be disabled.
  • Backlight time: How many seconds before backlight turns off, auto off can also be disabled.
  • Logging type: Select between manual, auto or interval logging.
  • Time: Sample interval when logging.
  • dBm reference: Can be set from 1ohm to 9999ohm
  • Thermocouple type: Either K or J
  • Temperature unit: Either Celsius or Fahrenheit.
  • Beep frequency: Select between some frequencies or off.
  • Startup sound: Select between beep, melody or off.
  • Alert: Define if warning uses beeper and/or led or nothing
  • Battery type: Select between primary (Alkaline) or secondary (NiMH) for more precise battery meter.
  • Factory default: Reset to factory default.
  • Remote button: Define function for remote button, can be mapped to any of the 7 buttons.
  • Resolution: Select between 60000 or 6000 count display
  • Update speed: 5 or 40 updated each second, the fast speed means 6000 count display.
  • Input impedance: Select 10Mohm or high for mV ranges.
  • LPF: Select default with or without LPF, this also supports LPF on DC.

Software on PC (Handheld Meter Logger Software)


  • Software is free to download and listed as free software on Keysight.
  • In addition to the software there is also installed License manager, License service and Agilent Host Processor Platform.
  • Report generator in software is fairly limited, it only accepts 200 samples.
  • It is only possible to generate a word or PDF report if Word or a PDF viewer is installed.
  • The software ignores the secondary display and value.
  • On my laptop the window is covering the laptops battery indicator.

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The USB to IR cable.
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The IR adapter connected to the meter.
1s
It took some time to install the software.
2
And during the install I got this message, I wonder why it could be show this at the start of the install.
3
First question when starting the application
4s
During startup the software shows this logo, notice the date. It will check for new versions each time, with a 4 year old software this is a bit much.
18s
Lets check the licensing, it do not say anything about free here and the “Lear More” shows a Keysight login, not very helpful.
16s
The program has a couple of settings, the voice out function will read the displayed value at regular time intervals, not when the value change.
6s
Starting the program shows a nearly empty screen, sometimes it will auto connect to a meter.
7s
A fairly generic meter box that is used to for connecting to the meter.
5s
When connected this is the main screen.
8s
It is possible to change some settings on the meter from here. Software will update if ranges are changed on the meter.
10s
A bit of logging, the first part was with the meter in auto range, the last part of the curve used manual range and I got a much smoother curve.
The scale is not very nice, I would have preferred a scale with 15, 10, 5, 0, -5, -10, -15.
12s
Data can be viewed as a table on multiple pages.
13s
Another window will show the actual value on the meter, but the secondary display is ignored.
14s
Report generator, with 3 different reports, but they are basically the same.
15s
Selecting data to include in report, maximum is 200 data points.
17s
In the chart interface it is possible to enable two cursors to measure with.
charts
A chart saved from the chart window, again the scale is bad.
docs
The report format, either chart or table can be missing, depending on format selected. The table format may be useful for single log points, but not when logging continuous, I do not need fill time, function and unit for each line. I would have preferred a much more compact format.
xmls
When logging a XML file is automatically saved, the format is not exactly compact.
log
The CSV file is more to the point and except for the top it is a standard CSV file in US format.
Software on Android (Mobile Meter)


  • This software can be downloaded from Google Play store.
  • With a U1117A/U1177A Bluetooth adapter it is possible to connect to a phone.
  • Keysight do not support their mobile software “Keysight Mobile Meter” anymore
  • App has copyright 2015 and is version 2.2.0

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The meter has no build in Bluetooth, but requires an external adapter.
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It is not the most discrete solution when mounted on the meter.
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When starting I am warned that the software is unsupported, I could not download the new app from Google. I had to connect the adapter using Andriod Bluetooth, then I could connect here.
7s
The readout do not use much screen estate.
1s
Turning the phone over improved the display size.
6s
I have to press the green button to start scanning, the first value is fetched when connecting, but not updated.
2s
The SHIFT modes on the meter can be controlled from the app and like the PC application the secondary display is ignored.
4s
It is possible to share the single value.
5s
The phone support reading the value at fixed intervals.
3s
It is possible to connect up to 3 meters.
10s
Confirmation when quitting the application, just leaving the application will not stop it and if reading is enabled it will continue.
Software on Android (Meter Logger)


  • This software can be downloaded from keysight.com and must be manually installed on the phone (I could not find it on Google play).
  • With a U1117A/U1177A Bluetooth adapter it is possible to connect to a phone.
  • App has copyright 2017 and is version 3.1
  • With the U1117A I got about 5 meter indoor range through a thick wall, no other Bluetooth meter has done that.
  • It recovered easy from breaks in communication.

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The meter has no build in Bluetooth, but requires an external adapter.
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It is not the most discrete solution when mounted on the meter.
1s7s10s
With this app there is both a value and a curve and either of them can fill the screen.
15s
The app supports up to 3 meters.
2s
8s
9s
If I flip the phone it works the same way and the layout is adjusted.
3s4s5s6s
There is a lot of configuration. The voice output is not very useful when the phone uses a “,” as decimal comma, because the app use a “.” and it is not spoken.
11s12s
In addition to the chart it is also possible to get a table or min/max/avg values from the recorded data.
13s
There is a local database to keep track of recorded data.
14s
And it can be shared, tried with email and it worked fine.
log
The data is a US CSV format, but I wonder why I need information about meter and Bluetooth adapter on each line.
Tear down
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I had to remove 6 screws to open the meter.
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The buzzer is in the back cover of the meter, connected with thin wires and a small connector.
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There is a lot of shields moulded into the back cover.
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There is some shielding beside the voltage input resistor, that already is in a metal box.
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The circuit board was a bit tricky to get out, I had to unhook four connections.
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Then remove 5 screws and four nuts.
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A view of all the plastic shields moulded into the enclosure.
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The LCD display was only mounted with one screw.
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On this side is the main processor (U27: D78F0485: Renesas 78K0/LF3, 8bit, 60kB ROM, 2KB RAM, LCD driver), next to two shift registers outputs (U18 & U19: LV595A). At the input terminals are some diodes (D1..D4), half the uAmA shunt protection and two resistors (R137 & R138: 2×2.5Mohm) protection resistor for the terminal sense. The circuit is the uAmA current sense circuit.
The range switch has a large distance for the two outer rings (on both sides), they are used to switch the input terminal and can have high voltage.
DSC_7654
The large resistor (R106: 0.499ohm), this is lower than normal. There is a OpAmp (U24: AEJY: MAX9912 Dual RR OpAmp), the other chip (U15: S48) may also be an OpAmp. The uA shunt and range switching transistor is on the other side.
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At the common terminal is four mode diodes (D5..D8) for uAmA protection and a PTC (RT5) protection for the remote switch.
The uAmA circuit is opposite the circuit on the other side, but I am a bit puzzled about it. The two transistors (Q1 & Q2: Marked X07V / 1F) can bypass this circuit and only leave the resistor on the other side active, next there is two resistors (R15: 499ohm & R16 56ohm) where the R15 can be bypassed with another set of transistors (Q3 & Q9: Marked X07V / 1F), but I did never see a 500ohm impedance when measuring current (I checked DC, AC and AC+DC).
The voltage input has two paths with MOVs (RT1 & RT2) and resistors (R1 & R2: Measures about 270ohm), then a capacitor for AC (C4: 100nF 630V) and a shielded input resistors on a ceramic substrate (R3) going directly to the main multimeter IC (U5: HY3131). There is no MOV’s, but instead spark gabs (VR1 & VR2) on the other side of the circuit board.
I do not see any transistor pairs, instead the protection for ohms, frequency, temperature, etc. is width diodes (D9, D10, D11, D12, D13, D22, ZD3, ZD4) in these ranges (The two path from input arrives at BD2 and BD4).
The chip (U20: S/6B) is probably the frequency output amplifier, it has 600ohm from pin 8 to the uAmA output in frequency output mode. This resistance is somewhere in the uAmA circuit.
In addition to the main multimeter IC there is a RMS converter (U13: AD8436A) a couple of MUX’es. The meter has memory for 10100 readings (Probably: U28 marked ATNLH4482FC).
To get enough sound from the buzzer there is an inductor (L1) next to the buzzer connector. The inductor is glued in place.
DSC_7653DSC_7655
More details.
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Conclusion
This meter has good input protection.
There is basically everything in ranges and functions, if you can find it, some ranges/functions needs the use of SHIFT, RANGE and DUAL and there is no obvious hints on the meter about it. Usage of the DUAL function is also a bit slow with up to 5 long pressed to get a specific readout (2xSHIFT + 5xDUAL to get AC+DC with DC in secondary display). The meter measures fairly fast, but any range or mode changes is very slow.
The complete lack of support for the secondary display in all the software limits some of the functionality.
If you want a meter that has a very wide selection of ranges and functions and is patient this meter is a good candidate.
Notes
I have used this meter for logging with my own software, it is fine for that, but replacing batteries are a bit of a hassle.
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Test/review of DMM Mustool MDS8207

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DMM Mustool MDS8207
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This is the latest incarnation (2019) of the Mustool DMM that can also show waveforms.
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I got the meter in a cardboard box with specifications on it.
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It included the DMM, a pair of probes, a thermocoupler, a bag and a manual.
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The probes include tip protectors, but they protect the full top and are not for CATIII rating.
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The plug is fully shrouded, but is slightly smaller than standard probe plug size.
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The thermocoupler is with a standard 19mm plug.
DSC_0061
The bag with the thermocoupler did also include some specifications for it:


  • Type: K
  • Range: -50°C to 204°C
  • Below 400°C it is +/2.5°C or 0/-0.75%    How can accuracy be rated to 400°C when probe is rated for 204°C?
  • Suitable for air or gas not liquid

DSC_0074DSC_0094
Both meter and tilting bale is smooth, this makes it difficult to use the meter one handed.
DSC_0064
The bag can fit both meter and probes, but feels a bit tight when doing it (Meter fits easily in it).
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The battery lid do not use a screws.
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The graphic on the the battery lid specifies how to install the batteries.
Display
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The power on screen shows the status for auto power on and sound, hold down F1 and/or F4 during power on to temporary change values.
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Typical display with range, unit and value. The bottom is the function of the soft keys (F1..F4)
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The REL is nice, it shows the reference value.
DSC_0089
Min/max (P-H button) also shows the actual min/max below the actual value. Only issue can be reading the small numbers.
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The hold button will freeze the big display, but the small value will continue to update.
DSC_0104
The database of saved values. This is activated by holding the S button down. To save the currently frozen value use arrow to select the desired slot, then press save (Default is always #0).
Functions
DSC_0095
Buttons:

  • F1..F4: Functions depends on actual mode.
  • R: In DMM mode it is range select and in OSC mode it is auto setup.
  • S: It is hold in both DMM and OSC mode. When reading is frozen hold it down to enter database.

Rotary switch:

  • Off: Meter is off.
  • V: This is VDC/VAC/mVDC/mVAC/Hz/Duty-cycle, F3/SEL is used to select between DC/AC/Hz/Duty-cycle
  • ohm: ohm, diode, continuity and capacity, use F3/SEL to select.
  • °C: Temperature with thermocoupler, use F1 & F2 to select between Celsius and Fahrenheit.
  • mA: Milliampere range for AC and DC, use F3/SEL to select
  • A: Ampere range for AC and DC, use F3/SEL to select
  • oscac: Oscilloscope mode with AC input
  • oscdc: Oscilloscope mode with DC input
  • Off: Meter is off.

Only difference between the two oscilloscope modes is a capacitor in series with the signal in AC mode.
Input
DSC_0096
If you have multiple meters, be aware that this meter has placed the connection different than other meters.

  • OSC: Oscilloscope mode
  • 10A: High current (This can also be used a COM for OSC mode).
  • xxx: All other ranges.
  • COM: The common terminal for most ranges, large capacitor is excluded from this.

Waveform/Oscilloscope function
DSC_0080DSC_0079
A 1Vrms sine wave curve at 100kHz and 25MHz (-3dB point).
DSC_0081
A 100kHz square wave.
DSC_0078
A 10MHz square wave in DC mode with trigger moved to a positive value (1.15V, see top of screen).
DSC_0084
10s/DIV setting, AC mode cannot really be used here due to the slow signal. I do miss a restart button. At slow speed the single trig do not work.
DSC_0111
The DMM mode may not be good at fast PWM, but in OSC mode it is no problem to see a 3.3V 10% 100kHz PWM signal, but I must guess about the duty-cycle.
DSC_0112z
Single pulse trigger can be used to capture communications, here it is the start of a NeoPixel message. I would have like to place the trigger at the screen edge to get more of the data, but that is not possible.
DSC_0082
Pressing F1/TIME or F2/VOLT will enter range adjustment (it is units/DIV):
Time: 10s, 5s, 2s, 1s, 500ms, 200ms, 100ms, 50ms, 20ms, 10ms, 5ms, 2ms, 1ms, 500us, 200us, 100us, 50us, 20us, 10us, 5us, 2us, 1us, 500ns, 200ns, 100ns, 50ns, 25ns, 12.5ns
Volt: 0.5V, 1V, 2V, 5V, 10V, 20V, 50V, 100V, 200V
The lowest voltage settings is not very sensitive.
DSC_0083
The trigger menu where it is possible to set raising/falling trig, single, normal, auto mode and move the level.
The manual also says something about cursors, I did not see them while use the oscilloscope mode.
DSC_0098
It is possible to save waveforms. First press the S/HOLD button to freeze the waveform, the hold down the S/HOLD button to enter the database, finally press F4/SAVE to save the waveform. These saved waveforms are remembered when power is off and there is space for 50 of them.
Measurements

  • Volt and frequency (DMM mode)

    • At 1Vrms frequency input range is from 10Hz to 30kHz
    • At 7Vrms frequency input range is from 0.8Hz to 150kHz
    • Frequency counter requires a zero crossing.
    • Duty cycle works from 20% to 80% at 10kHz with 4Vpp, precision is within 13
    • Duty cycle works from 5% to 95% at 1kHz with 4Vpp, precision is within 1
    • 1 VAC is 5% down at 2.1kHz
    • Min/max needs about 0.5s to capture a value, but it may requires many pulses (0.7s is much better).
    • Input impedance is 10-11Mohm on DC, AC.
    • Maximum voltage is 1000VDC and 750VAC

  • Oscilloscope mode

    • Input impedance is around 10Mohm
    • AC mode has a capacitor in series with the input.
    • -3dB is around 25mHz

  • Current

    • mA protected by 0.5A/250V probably a PTC
    • A is protected a 10A/250V SMD fuse

  • Ohm, Continuity, diode and capacitance

    • Ohm needs about 3s to measure 100ohm
    • Ohm is 1.0 open and -0.5mA shorted
    • Continuity is 1.0V open and 0.5mA shorted
    • Continuity is very fast (Less than 5ms).
    • Continuity beeps when resistance is below 50ohm.
    • Diode range uses 3.2V, max. display is 3.000V at 0.18mA, max. current is 2.2mA shorted
    • 10uF takes about 4 seconds to measure.
    • 70000uF takes about 8 seconds to measure.
    • Ohm and capacity input is rated for 250VDC/AC overload.

  • Miscellaneous

    • Current consumption of meter is 145mA (OSC at 5V/DIV or above is 175mA).
    • Meter works down to 3.5V where it will turn off, battery symbol shows empty at 3.5V
    • Display backlight fades slightly with falling battery voltage.
    • Meter reading is stable with falling battery voltage.
    • The meter often needs a couple of updates to show correct value.
    • Viewing angle is good
    • Display updates slightly below 2 times/sec
    • Will automatic turn power off in about 14 minutes.
    • Standard probes cannot be fully seated
    • Weight is 281g without accessories, but with batteries.
    • Size is 160 × 82.5 × 37mm.

  • Probes

    • Probe resistance 95mOhm for one.
    • Probe wire is soft and 82cm long.


1uF
A look at the capacitance measurement waveform for a 1uF capacitor.
DMMInputVoltageSweep100VDC
Input impedance in volt and frequency mode
DMMschema
AT 10A the reading will slowly increase and after some time (about 30s) be out of specified tolerance. Specifications says range must not be used more than 30s at a time.
The lowest capacity range shows about 5% high at 1nF, but zero is correct.
Temperature has a 10°C offset.
Frequency only works up to 150kHz on V input, higher frequencies can be measure in oscilloscope mode.
NiMH will give slightly longer runtime, lithium will double runtime.
Tear down
DSC_0113
To open the meter I had to remove four screws.
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The meter uses two circuit board and they are soldered together with a screw below the top board.
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I had to unsoldering the boards from each other and removing the 5 screws that holds the bottom board in to get them out.
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The display (backlight) is also soldered to the circuit board and there is nothing below it. This means this side of the circuit board is pads for the buttons and the rotary switch, inputs for the transistor tester and the current shunt.
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On this side is the input circuit. The 10A current uses a SMD 10A fuse and probably a PTC for the mA input, there is also the usual PTC and resistor (900kOhm) for ohm input . The volt input uses two resistors (2×5Mohm) directly connected to the multimeter chip. The typenumber is removed from the multimeter chip, but it has a EEPROM (24C02) connected.
The OSC input has a optional capacitor (4.7nF 2kV) beside the battery box. Next is two input resistors (2×5Mohm) and a blue capacitor across the resistors. There is two relays and probably some analog switches to handle range selection
1
ADC circuit. The C65 may be a SN74LVC1G66 analog switch.
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The other circuit board has all the digital logic controlled by a microprocessor (STM32F401RCT), a FPGA (LCMX02-640HC) to do all the fast stuff and a chip with markings removed. There is also a 8 pin chip (ATNLH9072), maybe a EEPROM.
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On this side is a voltage regulator (7133-1) and some logic inverters (LC04A). The inductor (Marked 101->100uH) is some power filtering.
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Conclusion
As usual I doubt the CAT, a small SMD fuse cannot handle high voltage and current and the transistor tester makes it way to easy to touch high voltages.
This meter is much better than the two previous models, the multimeter is very similar to many other multimeters, but the graphic displays is used to improve some functions. The oscilloscope mode works this time, it has a good bandwidth, AC/DC works as expected, but there are still a lot of rough edges.
The battery life is bad for a multimeter, it is best to use recharge batteries.
Notes
The multimeter was supplied by banggood.com for review (I believe that Mustool is a Banggood brand).
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Test/review of DlyFull B2 Universal LCD Battery Tester

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DlyFull B2 Universal LCD Battery Tester
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This tester has slots and places for many common battery sizes, but it do not support LiIon batteries.
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The tester arrived in a cardboard box with supported battery types listed.
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The box included the tester, a battery and a instruction sheet.
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A single AAA battery is used to power the tester.
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The display is a couple of bars with markings on the tester what the number bars means:
1-5: Poor, 6-10: Weak, 10-18: Good
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Measurements


  • Power consumption when testing is 27mA
  • Power consumption when display goes automatic off is 27mA
  • Power consumption when off is 80uA
  • Will automatic turn display off after 60 seconds.
  • Turns off when internal battery voltage is below 0.7V, reading is stable until then.

BatteryTestBatteryTestCurve
I tested with an alkaline, it was discharged with 0.1A in 0.2Ah steps. I stopped when the battery was down to 0.5V.
The discharged column is Ah (blue curve) and the rating (red curve) is how many bars are on the display, anything above 10 is good.
The value goes up when the battery rest a couple of hours, before I check the capacity.
If I had tested with lower load I could have discharged the battery mode.
Voltages
I tested all positions for voltage and current at 1, 6, 10, 18 bars, the table above show the result.
Bottom=First bar in section, Top=lasts bar in section.
Curve from a Alkaline battery test
Duracell%20AA-Pulse-0.1A-2h-10h-0.5V
The job of a battery tester is mostly hopeless, here I discharged a AA battery over a week, 2 hours on and 10 hours off. Every time I turn off the voltage will slowly creep up.
Duracell%20AA-Pulse-0.1A-2h-10h-0.5V-volt
This is again the result from above, but shown another way. The top curve is battery voltage after about 10 hours without load, next down is 10 minutes after load is removed, the 3. curve is 10 seconds after loads is removed and the bottom curve is with load on.
A battery tester may seen any of the 3 top curves, depending on when you test the battery, this means the same battery will look much more depleted when just removed from a active device, that a rested battery.
Tear down
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To open I had to remove four screws.
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Due to the display and some wires I did not want to remove the circuit board, especially because it is single sided and there is nothing on the other side, except battery test connections.
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There is a lot of parts inside the tester, each slot has its own sense resistor, there is not any real load resistors. There are two chip, the large one is unmarked and control the LCD display. I could not find any data on the small one.
Conclusion
This battery tester is mostly a voltmeter calibrated for battery state instead of voltage.
Notes
I got the tester from a DlyFull for review
Here is some voltage tables for estimating remaning energy in LiIon batteries

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